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AN  APOLOGY  FOR  THE   LIFE  OF 
MR.  COLLEY   GIBBER. 


VOLUME  THE  SECOND. 


NOTE. 

510  copies  printed  on  this  fine  deckle-edge  demy  8vo  paper  for  England  and 
America^  with  the  portraits  as  India  proofs  after  letters. 

Each  copy  is  numbered,  and  the  type  distributed. 


COLLEY      GIBBER      AS      LORD      FOPPINGTON. 


AN   APOLOGY  FOR  THE   LIFE  OF 

/  ' Vy 

MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER 

WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF 
A   NEW  EDITION  WITH   NOTES  AND   SUPPLEMENT 

BY 

ROBERT    W.    LOWE 

WITH  TWENTY-SIX  ORIGINAL  MEZZOTINT  PORTRAITS  BY 

R.  B.  PARKES,  AND  EIGHTEEN  ETCHINGS 

BY  ADOLPHE  LALAUZE 


IN    TWO     VOLUMES 

VOLUME  THE   SECOND 


LONDON 

JOHN    C.    NIMMO 
14,  KING  WILLIAM  STREET,  STRAND 

MDCCCLXXXIX 


V 
\ 


IPress 

PRINTED   BY  CHAKLES   WHITTINGHAM  AND  CO. 
TOOKS  COURT,   CHANCERY   LANE,   LONDON,  E.C. 


3  *#  ' 


\/.s- 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

THE  RECRUITED  ACTORS  IN  THE  HAY-MARKET  ENCOURAG'D 
BY  A  SUBSCRIPTION,  ETC i 

CHAPTER   XL 

SOME   CHIMERICAL  THOUGHTS  OF  MAKING   THE   STAGE 
USEFUL,  ETC 24 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  SHORT  VIEW  OF  THE  OPERA  WHEN  FIRST  DIVIDED  FROM 
THE  COMEDY,  ETC 50 

V 
CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  PATENTEE,  HAVING  NOW  NO  ACTORS,  REBUILDS  THE 
NEW  THEATRE  IN  LINCOLNS-!NN-FIELDS,  ETC.     ...      97 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
THE  STAGE  IN  ITS  HIGHEST  PROSPERITY,  ETC 117 

CHAPTER   XV. 

SIR  RICHARD  STEELE  SUCCEEDS  COLLIER  IN  THE  THEATRE- 
ROYAL,  ETC 161 


VI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

PAGE 

THE    AUTHOR    STEPS    OUT    OF    HIS    WAY.    PLEADS   HIS 
THEATRICAL  CAUSE  IN  CHANCERY,  ETC 192 


SUPPLEMENTARY  CHAPTER 257 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  COLLEY  GIBBER 289 

A  BRIEF  SUPPLEMENT  TO  COLLEY  GIBBER,  ESQ  ;  HIS  LIVES 

OF  THE  LATE  FAMOUS  ACTORS  AND  ACTRESSES    .     .     .  299 

MEMOIRS  OF  ACTORS  AND  ACTRESSES 319 


LIST   OF   MEZZOTINT   PORTRAITS. 

NEWLY  ENGRAVED  BY  R.  B.  PARKES. 

VOLUME  THE  SECOND. 

PAGE 

I.  COLLEY  GIBBER,  in  the  character  of  "Sir  Novelty 
Fashion,  newley  created  Lord  Foppington,"  in 
Vanbrugh's  play  of  "  The  Relapse ;  or,  Virtue  in 
Danger."  From  the  painting  by  J.  Grisoni.  The 

property  of  the  Garrick  Club Frontispiece 

II.  OWEN  SWINEY.     After  the  painting  by  John  Baptist 

Vanloo 54 

III.  ANNE  OLDFIELD.     From  the  picture  by  Jonathan 

Richardson 70 

IV.  THEOPHILUS  GIBBER,  in  the  character  of  "Antient 

Pistol " 86 

V.  HESTER  SANTLOW  (Mrs.  Barton   Booth).     After  an 

original  picture  from  the  life 104 

VI.  ROBERT  WILKS.     After  the  painting  by  John  Ellys, 

i732 122 

VII.  RICHARD  STEELE.     From  the  painting  by  Jonathan 

Richardson,  1712 172 

VIII.  BARTON    BOOTH.      From   the    picture    by  George 

White 206 

IX.  SUSANNA    MARIA    GIBBER.      After  a  painting    by 

Thomas  Hudson 222 

X.  CHARLES     FLEETWOOD.       "  Sir     Fopling     Flutter 
Arrested."     "  Drawn  from  a  real  Scene."    John 

Dixon  ad  vivum  del  et  feet 254 

XI.  ALEXANDER  POPE,  at  the  age  of  28.      After  the 

picture  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  painted  in  1716    .     272 
XII.  SUSANNA     MARIA     GIBBER,    in    the    character    of 
Cordelia,  "  King  Lear,"  act  iii.    After  the  picture 

by  Peter  Van  Bleeck 288 

XIII.  CAVE  UNDERBILL,  in  the  character  of  Obadiah, 
"The  Fanatic  Elder."  After  the  picture  by 
Robert  Bing,  1712 306 


LIST  OF  CHAPTER  HEADINGS. 

NEWLY  ETCHED    FROM    CONTEMPORARY   DRAWINGS  BY 
ADOLPHE  LALAUZE. 

VOLUME  THE  SECOND. 

X.  SCENE  ILLUSTRATING  GIBBER'S  "  CARELESS   HUSBAND." 

After  the  picture  by  Philip  Mercier. 
XL  COFFEE-HOUSE  SCENE  OF  GIBBER'S  DAY,  "drawn  from 

the  life  "  by  G.  Vander  Gucht. 

XII.  SCENE    ILLUSTRATING    "THE   ITALIAN   OPERA,"    WITH 
SENESINO,  CUZZONI,  &c.  From  a  contemporary  design. 
XIII.  SCENE  ILLUSTRATING   FARQUHAR'S  "RECRUITING  OFFI 
CER."     After  the  picture  by  Philip  Mercier. 
XIV.  SCENE  ILLUSTRATING  ADDISON'S  "  CATO."    After  the  con 
temporary  design  by  Lud.  du  Guernier. 
XV.  SCENE  ILLUSTRATING  VANBRUGH  AND  GIBBER'S  "PRO 
VOKED  HUSBAND."     After  the  contemporary  design 
by  J.  Vanderbank. 

XVI.  SCENE  ILLUSTRATING  VANBRUGH'S   "PROVOKED  WIFE." 
After  the  contemporary  design  by  Arnold  Vanhaecken. 
XVII.  "THE    STAGE   MUTINY,"  with  portraits  of  Theophilus 
Gibber  as  "Antient  Pistol,"  Mrs.  Wilks,  and  others, 
in  character;  Colley  Gibber  as  Poet  Laureate,  with 
his  lap  filled  with  bags  of  money.     From  a  pictorial 
satire  of  the  time. 
XVIII.  ANTHONY  ASTON'S  "  THE  FOOL'S  OPERA." 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR   THE    LIFE    OF 
MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER,   &c. 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  recruited  Actors  in  the  Hay- Market  encouragd  by  a  Subscription. 
Drury-Lane  under  a  particular  Menagement.  The  Power  of  a 
Lord-Chamberlain  over  the  Theatres  considered.  How  it  had 
been  formerly  exercised.  A  Digression  to  Tragick  Authors. 

HAVING  shewn  the  particular  Conduct  of  the 
Patentee  in  refusing  so  fair  an  Opportunity 
of  securing  to  himself  both  Companies  under  his  sole 
Power  and  Interest,  I  shall  now  lead  the  Reader, 
after  a  short  View  of  what  pass'd  in  this  new  Estab 
lishment  of  the  Hay-Market  Theatre,  to  the  Acci- 


2  THE    LIFE    OF 

dents  that  the  Year  following  compell'd  the  same 
Patentee  to  receive  both  Companies,  united,  into  the 
Drury-Lane  Theatre,  notwithstanding  his  Disincli 
nation  to  it. 

It  may  now  be  imagin'd  that  such  a  Detachment 
of  Actors  from  Drury-Lane  could  not  but  give  a 
new  Spirit  to  those  in  the  Hay-Market ;  not  only  by 
enabling  them  to  act  each  others  Plays  to  better 
Advantage,  but  by  an  emulous  Industry  which  had 
lain  too  long  inactive  among  them,  and  without 
which  they  plainly  saw  they  could  not  be  sure  of 
Subsistence.  Plays  by  this  means  began  to  recover 
a  good  Share  of  their  former  Esteem  and  Favour ; 
and  the  Profits  of  them  in  about  a  Month  enabled 
our  new  Menager  to  discharge  his  Debt  (of  some 
thing  more  than  Two  hundred  Pounds)  to  his  old 
Friend  the  Patentee,  who  had  now  left  him  and  his 
Troop  in  trust  to  fight  their  own  Battles.  The 
greatest  Inconvenience  they  still  laboured  under  was 
the  immoderate  Wideness  of  their  House,  in  which, 
as  I  have  observ'd,  the  Difficulty  of  Hearing  may  be 
said  to  have  bury'd  half  the  Auditors  Entertain 
ment.  This  Defect  seem'd  evident  from  the  much 
better  Reception  several  new  Plays  (first  acted 
there)  met  with  when  they  afterwards  came  to  be 
play'd  by  the  same  Actors  in  Drury-Lane :  Of  this 
Number  were  the  Stratagem1  and  the  Wif^s  Resent- 


That  is,  "The  Beaux'  Stratagem,"  by  Farquhar,  produced 
8th  March,  1707.     Cibber  played  the  part  of  Gibbef. 


MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  3 

ment ; l  to  which  I  may  add  the  Double  Gallant?  This 
last  was  a  Play  made  up  of  what  little  was  tolerable  in 
two  or  three  others  that  had  no  Success,  and  were  laid 
aside  as  so  much  Poetical  Lumber ;  but  by  collecting 
and  adapting  the  best  Parts  of  them  all  into  one  Play, 
the  Double  Gallant  has  had  a  Place  every  Winter 
amongst  the  Publick  Entertainments  these  Thirty 
Years.  As  I  was  only  the  Compiler  of  this  Piece  I 

1  "  Lady's  Last  Stake ;  or,  the  Wife's  Resentment,"  a  comedy 
by  Gibber,  produced  i3th  December,  1707. 

• .      LORD  WRONGLOVE Mr.  Wilks. 

SIR  GEORGE  BRILLANT   ....  Mr.  Gibber. 

SIR  FRIENDLY  MORAL    ....  Mr.  Keene. 

LADY  WRONGLOVE Mrs.  Barry. 

LADY  GENTLE Mrs.  Rogers. 

MRS.  CONQUEST Mrs.  Oldfield. 

Miss  NOTABLE Mrs.  Cross. 

2  "  The  Double  Gallant ;  or,  the  Sick  Lady's  Cure,"  a  comedy 
by  Gibber,  produced  ist  November,  1707. 

SIR  SOLOMON  SADLIFE    ....  Mr.  Johnson. 

CLERIMONT Mr.  Booth. 

CARELESS Mr.  Wilks. 

ATALL Mr.  Gibber. 

CAPTAIN  STRUT Mr.  Bowen. 

SIR  SQUABBLE  SPLITHAIR    .     .     .  Mr.  Norris. 

SAUNTER Mr.  Pack. 

OLD  MR.  WILFUL Mr.  Bullock. 

SIR  HARRY  ATALL Mr.  Cross. 

SUPPLE Mr.  Fairbank. 

LADY  DAINTY Mrs.  Oldfield. 

LADY  SADLIFE Mrs.  Crosse. 

CLARINDA Mrs.  Rogers. 

SYLVIA Mrs.  Bradshaw. 

WISHWELL Mrs.  Saunders. 

SITUP Mrs.  Brown. 

II.  B 


4  THE   LIFE   OF 

did  not  publish  it  in  my  own  Name ;  but  as  my  having 
but  a  Hand  in  it  could  not  be  long  a  Secret,  I  have 
been  often  treated  as  a  Plagiary  on  that  Account : 
Not  that  I  think  I  have  any  right  to  complain  of 
whatever  would  detract  from  the  Merit  of  that  sort 
of  Labour,  yet  a  Cobler  may  be  allow'd  to  be  useful 
though  he  is  not  famous  :l  And  I  hope  a  Man  is  not 
blameable  for  doing  a  little  Good,  tho'  he  cannot  do 
as  much  as  another  ?  But  so  it  is — Twopenny 
Criticks  must  live  as  well  as  Eighteenpenny  Authors ! 2 
While  the  Stage  was  thus  recovering  its  former 
Strength,  a  more  honourable  Mark  of  Favour  was 
shewn  to  it  than  it  was  ever  known  before  or  since 
to  have  receiv'd.  The  then  Lord  Hallifax  was  not 
only  the  Patron  of  the  Men  of  Genius  of  this  Time, 
but  had  likewise  a  generous  Concern  for  the  Repu 
tation  and  Prosperity  of  the  Theatre,  from  whence 
the  most  elegant  Dramatick  Labours  of  the  Learned, 
he  knew,  had  often  shone  in  their  brightest  Lustre. 
A  Proposal  therefore  was  drawn  up  and  addressed 
to  that  Noble  Lord  for  his  Approbation  and  Assis 
tance  to  raise  a  publick  Subscription  for  Reviving 
Three  Plays  of  the  best  Authors,  with  the  full 
Strength  of  the  Company ;  every  Subscriber  to  have 
Three  Tickets  for  the  first  Day  of  each  Play  for 

1  The  plays  from  which  Gibber  compiled  "  The  Double  Gallant " 
are  "  Love  at  a  Venture,"  "  The  Lady's  Visiting  Day,"  and  "  The 
Reformed  Wife  "  (Genest,  ii.  389). 

2  Eighteenpence  was  for  many  years  the  recognized  price  of 
plays  when  published. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  5 

his  single  Payment  of  Three  Guineas.  This  Sub 
scription  his  Lordship  so  zealously  encouraged,  that 
from  his  Recommendation  chiefly,  in  a  very  little 
time  it  was  compleated.  The  Plays  were  Julius 
Ccesar  of  Shakespear\  the  King  and  no  King  of 
Fletcher,  and  the  Comic  Scenes  of  Dryderis  Marriage 
a  la  mode  and  of  his  Maiden  Queen  put  together;1 
for  it  was  judg'd  that,  as  these  comic  Episodes  were 
utterly  independent  of  the  serious  Scenes  they  were 
originally  written  to,  they  might  on  this  occasion  be 
as  well  Episodes  either  to  the  other,  and  so  make  up 
five  livelier  Acts  between  them :  At  least  the  Project 
so  well  succeeded,  that  those  comic  Parts  have  never 
since  been  replaced,  but  were  continued  to  be  jointly 
acted  as  one  Play  several  Years  after. 

By  the  Aid  of  this  Subscription,  which  happened 
in  1707,  and  by  the  additional  Strength  and  Industry 
of  this  Company,  not  only  the  Actors  (several  of 
which  were  handsomely  advanc'd  in  their  Sallaries) 
were  duly  paid,  but  the  Menager  himself,  too,  at  the 
Foot  of  his  Account,  stood  a  considerable  Gainer. 

1  These  were  played  on  i4th  January,  2ist  January,  and  4th 
February,  1707,  in  the  order  Gibber  gives  them.  The  alteration 
of  Dryden's  plays  was  done  by  Gibber,  and  was  called  "  Marriage 
a  la  Mode  ;  or,  the  Comical  Lovers." 

CELADON Mr.  Gibber. 

PALAMEDE Mr.  Wilks. 

RHODOPHIL Mr.  Booth. 

MELANTHA Mrs.  Bracegirdle. 

FLORIMEL Mrs.  Oldfield. 

DORALICE Mrs.  Porter. 

I  have  not  seen  a  copy  of  this,  so  take  the  cast  from  Genest. 


6  THE  LIFE  OF 

At  the  same  time  the  Patentee  of  Drury-Lane 
went  on  in  his  usual  Method  of  paying  extraordinary 
Prices  to  Singers,  Dancers,  and  other  exotick  Per 
formers,  which  were  as  constantly  deducted  out  of 
the  sinking  Sallaries  of  his  Actors :  'Tis  true  his 
Actors  perhaps  might  not  deserve  much  more  than 
he  gave  them;  yet,  by  what  I  have  related,  it  is 
plain  he  chose  not  to  be  troubled  with  such  as  visibly 
had  deserv'd  more  :  For  it  seems  he  had  not  pur- 
chas'd  his  Share  of  the,  Patent  to  mend  the  Stage, 
but  to  make  Money  of  it :  And  to  say  Truth,  his 
Sense  of  every  thing  to  be  shewn  there  was  much 
upon  a  Level  with  the  Taste  of  the  Multitude,  whose 
Opinion  and  whose  Money  weigh'd  with  him  full  as 
much  as  that  of  the  best  Judges.  His  Point  was  to 
please  the  Majority,  who  could  more  easily  compre 
hend  any  thing  they  saw  than  the  daintiest  things 
that  could  be  said  to  them.  But  in  this  Notion  he 
kept  no  medium ;  for  in  my  Memory  he  carry'd  it  so 
far  that  he  was  (some  few  Years  before  this  time) 
actually  dealing  for  an  extraordinary  large  Elephant 
at  a  certain  Sum  for  every  Day  he  might  think  fit 
to  shew  the  tractable  Genius  of  that  vast  quiet 
Creature  in  any  Play  or  Farce  in  the  Theatre  (then 
standing)  in  Dorset-Garden.  But  from  the  Jealousy 
which  so  formidable  a  Rival  had  rais'd  in  his  Dancers, 
and  by  his  Bricklayer's  assuring  him  that  if  the 
Walls  were  to  be  open'd  wide  enough  for  its  Entrance 
it  might  endanger  the  fall  of  the  House,  he  gave  up 
his  Project,  and  with  it  so  hopeful  a  Prospect  of 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  7 

making  the  Receipts  of  the  Stage  run  higher  than  all 
the  Wit  and  Force  of  the  best  Writers  had  ever  yet 
rais'd  them  to.1 

About  the  same  time  of  his  being  under  this  Dis 
appointment  he  put  in  Practice  another  Project  of  as 
new,  though  not  of  so  bold  a  Nature  ;  which  was  his 
introducing  a  Set  of  Rope-dancers  into  the  same 
Theatre ;  for  the  first  Day  of  whose  Performance  he 
had  given  out  some  Play  in  which  I  had  a  material 
Part:  But  I  was  hardy  enough  to  go  into  the  Pit 
and  acquaint  the  Spectators  near  me,  that  I  hop'd 
they  would  not  think  it  a  Mark  of  my  Disrespect  to 
them,  if  I  declin'd  acting  upon  any  Stage  that  was 
brought  to  so  low  a  Disgrace  as  ours  was  like  to  be 
by  that  Day's  Entertainment.  My  Excuse  was  so 
well  taken  that  I  never  after  found  any  ill  Conse 
quences,  or  heard  of  the  least  Disapprobation  of  it : 
And  the  whole  Body  of  Actors,  too,  protesting 
against  such  an  Abuse  of  their  Profession,  our 
cautious  Master  was  too  much  alarm'd  and  intimidated 
to  repeat  it. 

After  what  I  have  said,  it  will  be  no  wonder  that 
all  due  Regards  to  the  original  Use  and  Institution 
of  the  Stage  should  be  utterly  lost  or  neglected  :  Nor 
was  the  Conduct  of  this  Menager  easily  to  be  alter'd 
while  he  had  found  the  Secret  of  making  Money  out 

1  An  elephant  was  introduced  into  the  pantomime  of  "Harlequin 
and  Padmanaba,"  at  Covent  Garden,  26th  December,  1811. 
Genest  points  out  that  one  had  appeared  at  Smock  Alley  Theatre, 
Dublin,  in  1771-2. 


8  THE   LIFE    OF 

of  Disorder  and  Confusion  :  For  however  strange  it 
may  seem,  I  have  often  observed  him  inclined  to  be 
cheerful  in  the  Distresses  of  his  Theatrical  Affairs, 
and  equally  reserv'd  and  pensive  when  they  went 
smoothly  forward  with  a  visible  Profit.  Upon  a  Run 
of  good  Audiences  he  was  more  frighted  to  be 
thought  a  Gainer,  which  might  make  him  accountable 
to  others,  than  he  was  dejected  with  bad  Houses, 
which  at  worst  he  knew  would  make  others  account 
able  to  him :  And  as,  upon  a  moderate  Computation, 
it  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  contested  Accounts  of 
a  twenty  Year's  Wear  and  Tear  in  a  Play-house 
could  be  fairly  adjusted  by  a  Master  in  Chancery 
under  four-score  Years  more,  it  will  be  no  Surprize 
that  by  the  Neglect,  or  rather  the  Discretion,  of  other 
Proprietors  in  not  throwing  away  good  Money  after 
bad,  this  Hero  of  a  Menager,  who  alone  supported 
the  War,  should  in  time  so  fortify  himself  by  Delay, 
and  so  tire  his  Enemies,  that  he  became  sole 
Monarch  of  his  Theatrical  Empire,  and  left  the 
quiet  Possession  of  it  to  his  Successors. 

If  these  Facts  seem  too  trivial  for  the  Attention  of 
a  sensible  Reader,  let  it  be  consider'd  that  they  are 
not  chosen  Fictions  to  entertain,  but  Truths  neces 
sary  to  inform  him  under  what  low  Shifts  and  Dis 
graces,  what  Disorders  and  Revolutions,  the  Stage 
laboured  before  it  could  recover  that  Strength  and 
Reputation  wherewith  it  began  to  flourish  towards 
the  latter  End  of  Queen  Annes  Reign ;  and  which 
it  continued  to  enjoy  for  a  Course  of  twenty  Years 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  9 

following.  But  let  us  resume  our  Account  of  the 
new  Settlement  in  the  Hay-Market. 

It  may  be  a  natural  Question  why  the  Actors 
whom  Swiney  brought  over  to  his  Undertaking  in 
the  Hay-Market  would  tie  themselves  down  to 
limited  Sallaries  ?  for  though  he  as  their  Menager 
was  obliged  to  make  them  certain  Payments,  it  was 
not  certain  that  the  Receipts  would  enable  him  to  do 
it ;  and  since  their  own  Industry  was  the  only  visible 
Fund,  they  had  to  depend  upon,  why  would  they  not 
for  that  Reason  insist  upon  their  being  Sharers  as 
well  of  possible  Profits  as  Losses  ?  How  far  in  this 
Point  they  acted  right  or  wrong  will  appear  from  the 
following  State  of  their  Case. 

It  must  first  be  consider' d  that  this  Scheme  of  their 
Desertion  was  all  concerted  and  put  in  Execution  in  a 
Week's  Time,  which  short  Warning  might  make  them 
overlook  that  Circumstance,  and  the  sudden  Pros 
pect  of  being  deliver'd  from  having  seldom  more  than 
half  their  Pay  was  a  Contentment  that  had  bounded 
all  their  farther  Views.  Besides,  as  there  could  be 
no  room  to  doubt  of  their  receiving  their  full  Pay 
previous  to  any  Profits  that  might  be  reap'd  by  their 
Labour,  and  as  they  had  no  great  Reason  to  appre 
hend  those  Profits  could  exceed  their  respective 
Sallaries  so  far  as  to  make  them  repine  at  them, 
they  might  think  it  but  reasonable  to  let  the  Chance 
of  any  extraordinary  Gain  be  on  the  Side  of  their 
Leader  and  Director.  But  farther,  as  this  Scheme 
had  the  Approbation  of  the  Court,  these  Actors  in 


10  THE    LIFE   OF 

reality  had  it  not  in  their  Power  to  alter  any  Part  of 
it :  And  what  induced  the  Court  to  encourage  it  was, 
that  by  having  the  Theatre  and  its  Menager  more 
immediately  dependent  on  the  Power  of  the  Lord 
Chamberlain,  it  was  not  doubted  but  the  Stage  would 
be  recover'd  into  such  a  Reputation  as  might  now 
do  Honour  to  that  absolute  Command  which  the 
Court  or  its  Officers  seem'd  always  fond  of  having 
over  it. 

Here,  to  set  the  Constitution  of  the  Stage  in  a 
clearer  Light,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  look  back  a  little 
on  the  Power  of  a  Lord  Chamberlain,  which,  as  may 
have  been  observed  in  all  Changes  of  the  Theatrical 
Government,  has  been  the  main  Spring  without 
which  no  Scheme  of  what  kind  soever  could  be  set 
in  Motion.  My  Intent  is  not  to  enquire  how  far  by 
Law  this  Power  has  been  limited  or  extended  ;  but 
merely  as  an  Historian  to  relate  Facts  to  gratify  the 
Curious,  and  then  leave  them  to  their  own  Reflections  : 
This,  too,  I  am  the  more  inclin'd  to,  because  there 
is  no  one  Circumstance  which  has  affected  the  Stage 
wherein  so  many  Spectators,  from  those  of  the  highest 
Rank  to  the  Vulgar,  have  seem'd  more  positively 
knowing  or  less  inform'd  in. 

Though  in  all  the  Letters  Patent  for  acting  Plays, 
&c.  since  King  Charles  the  First's  Time  there  has 
been  no  mention  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  or  of  any 
Subordination  to  his  Command  or  Authority,  yet  it 
was  still  taken  for  granted  that  no  Letters  Patent,  by 
the  bare  Omission  of  such  a  great  Officer's  Name, 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  II 

could  have  superseded  or  taken  out  of  his  Hands 
that  Power  which  Time  out  of  Mind  he  always  had 
exercised  over  the  Theatre.1  The  common  Opinions 
then  abroad  were,  that  if  the  Profession  of  Actors 
was  unlawful,  it  was  not  in  the  Power  of  the  Crown 
to  license  it ;  and  if  it  were  not  unlawful,  it  ought  to 
be  free  and  independent  as  other  Professions ;  and 
that  a  Patent  to  exercise  it  was  only  an  honorary 
Favour  from  the  Crown  to  give  it  a  better  Grace  of 
Recommendation  to  the  Publick.  But  as  the  Truth 
of  this  Question  seem'd  to  be  wrapt  in  a  great  deal 
of  Obscurity,  in  the  old  Laws  made  in  former  Reigns 
relating  to  Players,  &c.  it  may  be  no  Wonder  that 
the  best  Companies  of  Actors  should  be  desirous  of 
taking  Shelter  under  the  visible  Power  of  a  Lord 
Chamberlain  who  they  knew  had  at  his  Pleasure 
favoured  and  protected  or  born  hard  upon  them : 
But  be  all  this  as  it  may,  a  Lord  Chamberlain  (from 
whencesoever  his  Power  might  be  derived)  had  till 
of  later  Years  had  always  an  implicit  Obedience 
paid  to  it :  I  shall  now  give  some  few  Instances  in 
what  manner  it  was  exercised. 

What  appeared  to  be  most  reasonably  under  his 
Cognizance  was  the  licensing  or  refusing  new  Plays, 

1  In  Mr.  Percy  Fitzgerald's  "  New  History  of  the  English  Stage  " 
(ii.  436)  he  gives  an  interesting  memorandum  by  the  Hon.  Sir 
Spencer  Ponsonby-Fane  regarding  this  point.  It  begins :  "  That 
the  Chamberlain's  authority  proceeded  from  the  Sovereign  alone 
is  clear,  from  the  fact  that  no  Act  of  Parliament,  previous  to  the 
10  Geo.  II.,  c.  28  (passed  in  1737),  alludes  to  his  licensing  powers, 
though  he  was  constantly  exercising  them." 


12  THE   LIFE   OF 

or  striking  out  what  might  be  thought  offensive  in 
them :  Which  Province  had  been  for  many  Years 
assigned  to  his  inferior  Officer,  the  Master  of  the 
Revels ;  yet  was  not  this  License  irrevocable ;  for 
several  Plays,  though  acted  by  that  Permission,  had 
been  silenced  afterwards.  The  first  Instance  of  this 
kind  that  common  Fame  has  delivered  down  to  us,  is 
that  of  the  Maid's  Tragedy  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher, 
which  was  forbid  in  King  Charles  the  Second's  time, 
by  an  Order  from  the  Lord  Chamberlain.  For  what 
Reason  this  Interdiction  was  laid  upon  it  the  Politicks 
of  those  Days  have  only  left  us  to  guess.  Some 
said  that  the  killing  of  the  King  in  that  Play,  while 
the  tragical  Death  of  King  Charles  the  First  was 
then  so  fresh  in  People's  Memory,  was  an  Object  too 
horribly  impious  for  a  publick  Entertainment.  What 
makes  this  Conjecture  seem  to  have  some  Founda 
tion,  is  that  the  celebrated  Waller,  in  Compliment 
to  that  Court,  alter'd  the  last  Act  of  this  Play  (which 
is  printed  at  the  End  of  his  Works)  and  gave  it  a 
new  Catastrophe,  wherein  the  Life  of  the  King  is 
loyally  saved,  and  the  Lady's  Matter  made  up  with 
a  less  terrible  Reparation.  Others  have  given  out, 
that  a  repenting  Mistress,  in  a  romantick  Revenge  of 
her  Dishonour,  killing  the  King  in  the  very  Bed  he 
expected  her  to  come  into,  was  shewing  a  too  danger 
ous  Example  to  other  Evadnes  then  shining  at  Court 
in  the  same  Rank  of  royal  Distinction ;  who,  if  ever 
their  Consciences  should  have  run  equally  mad, 
might  have  had  frequent  Opportunities  of  putting 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  13 

the  Expiation  of  their  Frailty  into  the  like  Execu 
tion.  But  this  I  doubt  is  too  deep  a  Speculation,  or 
too  ludicrous  a  Reason,  to  be  relied  on  ;  it  being  well 
known  that  the  Ladies  then  in  favour  were  not  so 
nice  in  their  Notions  as  to  think  their  Preferment 
their  Dishonour,  or  their  Lover  a  Tyrant :  Besides, 
that  easy  Monarch  loved  his  Roses  without  Thorns  ; 
nor  do  we  hear  that  he  much  chose  to  be  himself  the 
first  Gatherer  of  them.1 

The  Lucius  Junius  Brutus  of  Nat.  Lee a  was  in  the 
same  Reign  silenced  after  the  third  Day  of  Acting 
it;  it  being  objected  that  the  Plan  and  Sentiments 
of  it  had  too  boldly  vindicated,  and  might  enflame 
republican  Principles. 

A  Prologue  (by  Dryden)  to  the  Prophetess  was 
forbid  by  the  Lord  Dorset  after  the  first  Day  of  its 
being  spoken.3  This  happen'd  when  King  William 
was  prosecuting  the  War  in  Ireland.  It  must  be 

1  Langbaine,  in  his  "  Account  of  the  English  Dramatick  Poets," 
1691,  says  (p.  212)  :  "Maids  Tragedy,  a  Play  which  has  always 
been  acted  with  great  Applause  at  the  King's  Theatre;  and  which 
had  still  continu'd  on  the  English  Stage,  had  not  King  Charles  the 
Second,  for  some  particular  Reasons  forbid  its  further  Appearance 
during  his  Reign.  It  has  since  been  reviv'd  by  Mr.  Waller,  the 
last  Act  having  been  wholly  alter'd  to  please  the  Court." 

1  think  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  last  reason  suggested 
by  Gibber  was  the  real  cause  of  the  prohibition. 

2  Produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  1681. 

3  Produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  1690.     See  ante,  vol.  i.  p.  187. 
I  presume  that  the  lines  alluded  to  by  Gibber  are : — 

"  Never  content  with  what  you  had  before, 
But  true  to  change,  and  Englishmen  all  o'er." 


14  THE   LIFE   OF 

confess'd  that  this  Prologue  had  some  familiar,  meta 
phorical  Sneers  at  the  Revolution  itself;  and  as  the 
Poetry  of  it  was  good,  the  Offence  of  it  was  less 
pardonable. 

The  .Tragedy  of  Mary  Queen  ot  Scotland1  had 
been  offer'd  to  the  Stage  twenty  Years  before  it  was 
acted  :  But  from  the  profound  Penetration  of  the 
Master  of  the  Revels,  who  saw  political  Spectres  in  it 
that  never  appear'd  in  the  Presentation,  it  had  lain 
so  long  upon  the  Hands  of  the  Author  ;  who  had  at 
last  the  good  Fortune  to  prevail  with  a  Nobleman  to 
favour  his  Petition  to  Queen  Anne  for  Permission  to 
have  it  acted  :  The  Queen  had  the  Goodness  to  refer 
the  Merit  of  his  Play  to  the  Opinion  of  that  noble 
Person,  although  he  was  not  her  Majesty's  Lord  Cham 
berlain  ;  upon  whose  Report  of  its  being  every  way 
an  innocent  Piece,  it  was  soon  after  acted  with  Success. 

Reader,  by  your  Leave 1  will  but  just  speak 

a  Word  or  two  to  any  Author  that  has  not  yet  writ 
one  Line  of  his  next  Play,  and  then  I  will  come  to 

my  Point  again What  I  would  say  to  him  is  this 

— Sir,  before  you  set  Pen  to  Paper,  think  well  and 
principally  of  your  Design  or  chief  Action,  towards 

1  In  the  "  Biographia  Dramatica "  (iii.  24)  the  following  note 
appears  :  "  Mary  Queen  of  Scotland.  A  play  under  this  title  was 
advertised,  among  others,  as  sold  by  Wellington,  in  St.  Paul's 
Churchyard,  in  1703."  But  the  work  Gibber  refers  to  is  "The 
Island  Queens;  or,  the  Death  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,"  a 
tragedy  by  John  Banks,  printed  in  1684,  but  not  produced  till 
6th  March,  1704,  when  it  was  played  at  Drury  Lane  as  "The 
Albion  Queens." 


MR.   COLLEY   GIBBER.  15 

which  every  Line  you  write  ought  to  be  drawn,  as  to 
its  Centre  :  If  we  can  say  of  your  finest  Sentiments, 
This  or  That  might  be  left  out  without  maiming  the 
Story,  you  would  tell  us,  depend  upon  it,  that  fine 
thing  is  said  in  a  wrong  Place  ;  and  though  you  may 
urge  that  a  bright  Thought  is  not  to  be  resisted,  you 
will  not  be  able  to  deny  that  those  very  fine  Lines 
would  be  much  finer  if  you  could  find  a  proper  Occa 
sion  for  them  :  Otherwise  you  will  be  thought  to  take 
less  Advice  from  Aristotle  or  Horace  than  from  Poet 
Bays  in  the  Rehearsal,  who  very  smartly  says —  What 
the  Devil  is  the  Plot  good  for  but  to  bring  in  fine 
things?  Compliment  the  Taste  of  your  Hearers  as 
much  as  you  please  with  them,  provided  they  belong 
to  your  Subject,  but  don't,  like  a  dainty  Preacher  who 
has  his  Eye  more  upon  this  World  than  the  next, 
leave  your  Text  for  them.  When  your  Fable  is 
good,  every  Part  of  it  will  cost  you  much  less  Labour 
to  keep  your  Narration  alive,  than  you  will  be  forced 
to  bestow  upon  those  elegant  Discourses  that  are  not 
absolutely  conducive  to  your  Catastrophe  or  main 
Purpose  :|  Scenes  of  that  kind  shew  but  at  best  the 
unprofitable  or  injudicious  Spirit  of  a  Genius.  It  is 
but  a  melancholy  Commendation  of  a  fine  Thought 
to  say,  when  we  have  heard  it,  Well !  but  what's  all 
this  to  the  Purpose  ?  Take,  therefore,  in  some  part, 
Example  by  the  Author  last  mention'd !  There  are 
three  Plays  of  his,  The  Earl  of  Essex,1  Anna 

1  "  The  Unhappy  Favourite ;  or,  the  Earl  of  Essex,"  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal,  1682. 


1 6  THE    LIFE   OF 

Bullen^  and  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  which,  tho'  they 
are  all  written  in  the  most  barren,  barbarous  Stile  that 
was  ever  able  to  keep  Possession  of  the  Stage,  have  all 
interested  the  Hearts  of  his  Auditors.  To  what  then 
could  this  Success  be  owing,  but  to  the  intrinsick 
and  naked  Value  of  the  well-conducted  Tales  he  has 
simply  told  us  ?  There  is  something  so  happy  in  the 
Disposition  of  all  his  Fables  ;  all  his  chief  Characters 
are  thrown  into  such  natural  Circumstances  of  Dis 
tress,  that  their  Misery  or  Affliction  wants  very  little 
Assistance  from  the  Ornaments  of  Stile  or  Words  to 
speak  them.  When  a  skilful  Actor  is  so  situated, 
his  bare  plaintive  Tone  of  Voice,  the  Cast  of  Sorrow 
from  his  Eye,  his  slowly  graceful  Gesture,  his  humble 
Sighs  of  Resignation  under  his  Calamities  :  All  these, 
I  say,  are  sometimes  without  a  Tongue  equal  to  the 
strongest  Eloquence.  At  such  a  time  the  attentive 
Auditor  supplies  from  his  own  Heart  whatever  the 
Poet's  Language  may  fall  short  of  in  Expression,  and 
melts  himself  into  every  Pang  of  Humanity  which 
the  like  Misfortunes  in  real  Life  could  have  inspired. 

After  what  I  have  observ'd,  whenever  I  see  a 
Tragedy  defective  in  its  Fable,  let  there  be  never  so 
many  fine  Lines  in  it ;  I  hope  I  shall  be  forgiven  if 
I  impute  that  Defect  to  the  Idleness,  the  weak  Judg 
ment,  or  barren  Invention  of  the  Author. 

If  I  should  be  ask'd  why  I  have  not  always  my 
self  follow'd  the  Rules  I  would  impose  upon  others  ; 

1  "  Virtue  Betrayed ;  or,  Anna  Bullen,"  first  acted  at  Dorset 
Garden,  1682. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  IJ 

I  can  only  answer,  that  whenever  I  have  not,  I  lie 
equally  open  to  the  same  critical  Censure.  But 
having  often  observ'd  a  better  than  ordinary  Stile 
thrown  away  upon  the  loose  and  wandering  Scenes 
of  an  ill-chosen  Story,  I  imagin'd  these  Observations 
might  convince  some  future  Author  of  how  great 
Advantage  a  Fable  well  plann'd  must  be  to  a  Man 
of  any  tolerable  Genius. 

All  this  I  own  is  leading  my  Reader  out  of  the 
way ;  but  if  he  has  as  much  Time  upon  his  Hands 
as  I  have,  (provided  we  are  neither  of  us  tir'd)  it 
may  be  equally  to  the  Purpose  what  he  reads  or 
what  I  write  of.  But  as  I  have  no  Objection  to 
Method  when  it  is  not  troublesome,  I  return  to  my 
Subject. 

Hitherto  we  have  seen  no  very  unreasonable  In 
stance  of  this  absolute  Power  of  a  Lord  Chamberlain, 
though  we  were  to  admit  that  no  one  knew  of  any 
real  Law,  or  Construction  of  Law,  by  which  this 
Power  was  given  him.  I  shall  now  offer  some  Facts 
relating  to  it  of  a  more  extraordinary  Nature,  which 
I  leave  my  Reader  to  give  a  Name  to. 

About  the  middle  of  King  Williams  Reign  an 
Order  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain  was  then  subsisting 
that  no  Actor  of  either  Company  should  presume  to 
go  from  one  to  the  other  without  a  Discharge  from 
their  respective  Menagers1  and  the  Permission  of 

1  Bellchambers  notes  here  that  this  order  was  superfluous,  be 
cause  the  prohibition  was  inserted  in  the  Patents  given  to  Davenant 
and  Killigrew.  But,  whether  superfluous  or  not,  I  find  from  the 


1 8  THE   LIFE   OF 

the  Lord  Chamberlain.  Notwithstanding  such  Order, 
Powel,  being  uneasy  at  the  Favour  Wilks  was  then 
rising  into,  had  without  such  Discharge  left  the  Drury- 
Lane  Theatre  and  engag'd  himself  to  that  of  Lincolns- 
Inn- Fields :  But  by  what  follows  it  will  appear  that 
this  Order  was  not  so  much  intended  to  do  both  of 
them  good,  as  to  do  that  which  the  Court  chiefly 
favour' d  (Lincolns- Inn- Fields)  no  harm.1  For  when 
Powel  grew  dissatisfy'd  at  his  Station  there  too,  he 
return'd  to  Drury-Lane  (as  he  had  before  gone  from 
it)  without  a  Discharge :  But  halt  a  little !  here,  on 
this  Side  of  the  Question,  the  Order  was  to  stand  in 
force,  and  the  same  Offence  against  it  now  was  not  to 
be  equally  pass'd  over.  He  was  the  next  Day  taken 
up  by  a  Messenger  and  confin'd  to  the  Porter's- 
Lodge,  where,  to  the  best  of  my  Remembrance,  he 
remain'd  about  two  Days  ;  when  the  Menagers  of 
Lincolns-Inn-Fields,  not  thinking  an  Actor  of  his 

Records  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Office  that  this  order  was 
frequently  made.  On  i6th  April,  1695,  an  edict  was  issued  for 
bidding  actors  to  desert  from  Betterton's  company ;  on  25th  July, 
1695,  desertions  from  either  company  were  forbidden;  and  this 
latter  order  was  reiterated  on  27th  May,  1697. 

1  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  merely  a  coincidence,  but  it  is 
curious  that,  after  Betterton  got  his  License  (on  25th  March, 
1695),  an  edict  was  issued  that  no  one  was  to  desert  from  his 
company  to  that  of  the  Theatre  Royal;  while  a  general  order 
against  any  desertion  from  either  company  to  the  other  was  not 
issued  for  more  than  three  months  after  the  first  edict.  The 
dates,  as  given  in  the  Records  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Office, 
are  i6th  April  and  25th  July  respectively.  If  this  were  inten 
tional,  it  would  form  a  curious  commentary  on  Gibber's  statement. 


MR.   COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 9 

loose  Character  worth  their  farther  Trouble,  gave  him 
up ;  though  perhaps  he  was  released  for  some  better 
Reason.1  Upon  this  occasion,  the  next  Day,  behind 
the  Scenes  at  Drury-Lane,  a  Person  of  great  Quality 
in  my  hearing  enquiring  of  Powel  into  the  Nature 
of  his  Offence,  after  he  had  heard  it,  told  him,  That 
if  he  had  had  Patience  or  Spirit  enough  to  have 
staid  in  his  Confinement  till  he  had  given  him  Notice 
of  it,  he  would  have  found  him  a  handsomer  way  of 
coming  out  of  it. 

Another  time  the  same  Actor,  Powel,  was  provok'd 

1  Genest  supposes  that  this  incident  occurred  about  June,  1704. 
But  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records  of  that  time  contain  no  note 
of  it,  and  Gibber's  language  scarcely  bears  the  interpretation  that 
three  years  elapsed  between  Powell's  leaving  Drury  Lane  and 
returning  to  it,  as  was  the  case  at  that  time;  for  he  was  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  for  three  seasons,  1702  to  1704.  I  find, 
however,  a  warrant,  dated  i4th  November,  1705,  to  apprehend 
Powell  for  refusing  to  act  his  part  at  the  Haymarket,  so  that  the 
audience  had  to  be  dismissed,  and  for  trying  to  raise  a  mutiny  in 
the  company.  He  was  ordered  to  be  confined  in  the  Porter's 
Lodge  until  further  notice.  On  the  24th  November  Rich  was 
informed  that  Powell  had  deserted  the  Haymarket,  and  was 
warned  not  to  engage  him.  Now  these  desertions  must  have 
followed  each  other  pretty  closely,  for  he  was  at  Drury  Lane  in 
the  beginning  of  1705  j  at  the  Haymarket  in  April  of  the  same 
year ;  and  about  six  months  later  had  deserted  the  latter.  The  sequel 
to  this  difficulty  seems  to  be  the  silencing  of  Rich  for  receiving 
Powell,  on  5th  March  in  the  fifth  year  of  Queen  Anne's  reign, 
that  is,  1707.  Unless  the  transcriber  of  the  Records  has  made  a 
mistake  in  the  year,  Powell  was  thus  suspended  for  about  eighteen 
months.  It  will  be  noticed  that  Gibber  does  not  say  that  he  was 
acting  the  night  after  his  release,  but  merely  that  he  was  behind 
the  scenes. 

II.  C 


£0  THE   LIFE   OF 

at  WilFs  Coffee-house,  in  a  Dispute  about  the  Play 
house  Affairs,  to  strike  a  Gentleman  whose  Family 
had  been  sometimes  Masters  of  it ;  a  Complaint  of 
this  Insolence  was,  in  the  Absence  of  the  Lord- 
Chamberlain,  immediately  made  to  the  Vice-Chamber 
lain,  who  so  highly  resented  it  that  he  thought  him 
self  bound  in  Honour  to  carry  his  Power  of  redressing 
it  as  far  as  it  could  possibly  go  :  For  Powel  having 
a  Part  in  the  Play  that  was  acted  the  Day  after,  the 
Vice-Chamberlain  sent  an  Order  to  silence  the  whole 
Company  for  having  suffer'd  Powel  to  appear  upon 
the  Stage  before  he  had  made  that  Gentleman  Satis 
faction,  although  the  Masters  of  the  Theatre  had 
had  no  Notice  of  Powell  Misbehaviour :  However, 
this  Order  was  obey'd,  and  remained  in  force  for  two 
or  three  Days,  'till  the  same  Authority  was  pleas'd 
or  advis'd  to  revoke  it.1  From  the  Measures  this 
injur'd  Gentleman  took  for  his  Redress,  it  may  be 
judg'd  how  far  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  a 
Lord-Chamberlain  had  an  absolute  Power  over  the 
Theatre. 

I  shall  now  give  an  Instance  of  an  Actor  who  had 
the  Resolution  to  stand   upon  the  Defence  of  his 


1  Among  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records  is  a  copy  of  a  decree 
suspending  all  performances  at  Drury  Lane  because  Powell  had 
been  allowed  to  play.  This  is  dated  3rd  May,  1698.  His  offence 
was  that  he  had  drawn  his  sword  on  Colonel  Stanhope  and  young 
Davenant.  The  suspension  was  removed  the  following  day ;  but 
on  the  i  Qth  of  the  same  month  Powell  was  forbidden  to  be  re 
ceived  at  either  Drury  Lane  or  Dorset  Garden. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  21 

Liberty  against  the  same  Authority,  and  was  reliev'd 
by  it. 

In  the  same  King's  Reign,  Dogget  >  who  tho',  from 
a  severe  Exactness  in  his  Nature,  he  could  be  seldom 
long  easy  in  any  Theatre,  where  Irregularity,  not  to 
say  Injustice,  too  often  prevail'd,  yet  in  the  private 
Conduct  of  his  Affairs  he  was  a  prudent,  honest  Man. 
He  therefore  took  an  unusual  Care,  when  he  return'd 
to  act  under  the  Patent  in  Drury-Lane,  to  have  his 
Articles  drawn  firm  and  binding  :  But  having  some 
Reason  to  think  the  Patentee  had  not  dealt  fairly 
with  him,  he  quitted  the  Stage  and  would  act  no 
more,  rather  chusing  to  lose  his  whatever  unsatisfy'd 
Demands  than  go  through  the  chargeable  and  tedious 
Course  of  the  Law  to  recover  it.  But  the  Patentee, 
who  (from  other  People's  Judgment)  knew  the  Value 
of  him,  and  who  wanted,  too,  to  have  him  sooner  back 
than  the  Law  could  possibly  bring  him,  thought  the 
surer  way  would  be  to  desire  a  shorter  Redress  from 
the  Authority  of  the  Lord-Chamberlain.1  Accord 
ingly,  upon  his  Complaint  a  Messenger  was  immedi 
ately  dispatch'd  to  Norwich,  where  Dogget  then  was, 
to  bring  him  up  in  Custody  :  But  doughty  Dogget :, 
who  had  Money  in  his  Pocket  and  the  Cause  of 
Liberty  at  his  Heart,  was  not  in  the  least  intimidated 

1  A  warrant  was  issued  to  apprehend  Dogget  and  take  him  to 
the  Knight  Marshall's  Prison,  on  23rd  November,  1697,  his 
offence  being  desertion  of  the  company  of  Drury  Lane  and 
Dorset  Garden.  The  Records  contain  no  note  as  to  the  termina 
tion  of  the  matter ;  but  this  is,  beyond  doubt,  the  occasion  referred 
to  by  Gibber. 


22  THE    LIFE    OF 

by  this  formidable  Summons.  He  was  observed  to 
obey  it  with  a  particular  Chearfulness,  entertaining 
his  Fellow-traveller,  the  Messenger,  all  the  way  in 
the  Coach  (for  he  had  protested  against  Riding) 
with  as  much  Humour  as  a  Man  of  his  Business 
might  be  capable  of  tasting.  And  as  he  found  his 
Charges  were  to  be  defray'd,  he,  at  every  Inn,  call'd 
for  the  best  Dainties  the  Country  could  afford  or  a 
pretended  weak  Appetite  could  digest.  At  this  rate 
they  jollily  roll'd  on,  more  with  the  Air  of  a  Jaunt 
than  a  Journey,  or  a  Party  of  Pleasure  than  of  a 
poor  Devil  in  Durance.  Upon  his  Arrival  in  Town 
he  immediately  apply'd  to  the  Lord  Chief  Justice 
Holt  for  his  Habeas  Corpus.  As  his  Case  was  some 
thing  particular,  that  eminent  and  learned  Minister 
of  the  Law  took  a  particular  Notice  of  it:  For 
Dogget  was  not  only  discharg  d,  but  the  Process  of 
his  Confinement  (according  to  common  Fame)  had  a 
Censure  pass'd  upon  it  in  Court,  which  I  doubt  I 
am  not  Lawyer  enough  to  repeat !  To  conclude,  the 
officious  Agents  in  this  Affair,  finding  that  in  Dogget 
they  had  mistaken  their  Man,  were  mollify'd  into 
milder  Proceedings,  and  (as  he  afterwards  told  me) 
whisper'd  something  in  his  Ear  that  took  away 
Dogget 's  farther  Uneasiness  about  it. 

By  these  Instances  we  see  how  naturally  Power 
only  founded  on  Custom  is  apt,  where  the  Law  is 
silent,  to  run  into  Excesses,  and  while  it  laudably 
pretends  to  govern  others,  how  hard  it  is  to  govern 
itself.  But  since  the  Law  has  lately  open'd  its 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  23 

Mouth,  and  has  said  plainly  that  some  Part  of  this 
Power  to  govern  the  Theatre  shall  be,  and  is  plac'd 
in  a  proper  Person ;  and  as  it  is  evident  that  the 
Power  of  that  white  Staff,  ever  since  it  has  been  in 
the  noble  Hand  that  now  holds  it,  has  been  us'd  with 
the  utmost  Lenity,  I  would  beg  leave  of  the  mur 
muring  Multitude  who  frequent  the  Theatre  to  offer 
them  a  simple  Question  or  two,  viz.  Pray,  Gentlemen, 
how  came  you,  or  rather  your  Fore-fathers,  never  to 
be  mutinous  upon  any  of  the  occasional  Facts  I  have 
related  ?  And  why  have  you  been  so  often  tumul 
tuous  upon  a  Law's  being  made  that  only  confirms  a 
less  Power  than  was  formerly  exercis'd  without  any 
Law  to  support  it  ?  You  cannot,  sure,  say  such  Dis 
content  is  either  just  or  natural,  unless  you  allow  it  a 
Maxim  in  your  Politicks  that  Power  exercis'd  without 
Law  is  a  less  Grievance  than  the  same  Power  exer 
cis'd  according  to  Law ! 

Having  thus  given  the  clearest  View  I  was  able 
of  the  usual  Regard  paid  to  the  Power  of  a  Lord- 
Chamberlain,  the  Reader  will  more  easily  conceive 
what  Influence  and  Operation  that  Power  must 
naturally  have  in  all  Theatrical  Revolutions,  and  par 
ticularly  in  the  complete  Re-union  of  both  Companies, 
which  happen'd  in  the  Year  following. 


CHAPTER   XL 

Some  Chimerical  Thoughts  of  making  the  Stage  useful :  Some,  to  its 
Reputation.  The  Patent  unprofitable  to  all  the  Proprietors  but 
one.  A  fourth  Part  of  it  given  away  to  Colonel  Brett.  A 
Digression  to  his  Memory.  The  two  Companies  of  Actors  re 
united  by  his  Interest  and  Menagement.  The  first  Direction  of 
Operas  only  given  to  Mr.  Swiney. 

FROM  the  Time  that  the  Company  of  Actors  in 
the  Hay-Market  was  recruited  with  those  from 
Drury-Lane,  and  came  into  the  Hands  of  their  new 
Director,  Swiney,  the  Theatre  for  three  or  four  Years 
following  suffer'd  so  many  Convulsions,  and  was 
thrown  every  other  Winter  under  such  different 
Interests  and  Menagement  before  it.  came  to  a  firm 


THE  LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  25 

and  lasting  Settlement,  that   I   am  doubtful  if  the 
most    candid    Reader    will    have    Patience    to    go 
through  a  full  and  fair  Account  of  it :    And  yet  I 
would  fain  flatter  my  self  that  those  who  are  not 
too   wise   to   frequent  the  Theatre   (or   have   Wit 
enough  to  distinguish  what  sort  of  Sights  there  either 
do  Honour  or  Disgrace  to  it)  may  think  their  national 
Diversion  no  contemptible  Subject  for  a  more  able 
Historian  than  I  pretend  to  be  :  If  I  have  any  par 
ticular  Qualification  for  the  Task  more  than  another 
it  is  that   I   have  been  an  ocular  Witness  of  the 
several    Facts  that  are   to   fill  up  the  rest  of  my; 
Volume,  and  am  perhaps  the   only    Person  living! 
(however  unworthy)  from  whom  the  same  Materials  s 
can  be  collected  ;  but  let  them  come  from  whom  they  ' 
may,  whether  at  best  they  will  be  worth   reading, 
perhaps  a  Judgment  may  be  better  form'd  after  a 
patient  Perusal  of  the  following  Digression. 

In  whatever  cold  Esteem  the  Stage  may  be  among 
the  Wise  and  Powerful,  it  is  not  so  much  a  Reproach 
to  those  who  contentedly  enjoy  it  in  its  lowest  Con 
dition,  as  that  Condition  of  it  is  to  those  who  (though 
they  cannot  but  know  to  how  valuable  a  publick 
Use  a  Theatre,  well  establish' d,  might  be  rais'd)  yet 
in  so  many  civiliz'd  Nations  have  neglected  it.  This 
perhaps  will  be  call'd  thinking  my  own  wiser  than 
all  the  wise  Heads  in  Europe.  But  I  hope  a  more 
humble  Sense  will  be  given  to  it;  at  least  I  only 
mean,  that  if  so  many  Governments  have  their 
Reasons  for  their  Disregard  of  their  Theatres,  those 


26  THE  LIFE    OF 

Reasons  may  be  deeper  than  my  Capacity  has  yet 
been  able  to  dive  into :  If  therefore  my  simple 
Opinion  is  a  wrong  one,  let  the  Singularity  of  it 
expose  me :  And  tho'  I  am  only  building  a  Theatre 
in  the  Air,  it  is  there,  however,  at  so  little  Expence 
and  in  so  much  better  a  Taste  than  any  I  have  yet 
seen,  that  I  cannot  help  saying  of  it,  as  a  wiser  Man 
did  (it  may  be)  upon  a  wiser  Occasion : 

—  Si  quid  novisti  rectius  istis, 

Candidus  imperti  ;  si  non  —  Hor.1 

Give  me  leave  to  play  with  my  Project  in  Fancy. 

I  say,  then,  that  as  I  allow  nothing  is  more  liable 
to  debase  and  corrupt  the  Minds  of  a  People  than  a 
licentious  Theatre,  so  under  a  just  and  proper  Estab 
lishment  it  were  possible  to  make  it  as  apparently 
the  School  of  Manners  and  of  Virtue.  Were  I  to 
collect  all  the  Arguments  that  might  be  given  for 
my  Opinion,  or  to  inforce  it  by  exemplary  Proofs,  it 
might  swell  this  short  Digression  to  a  Volume ;  I 
shall  therefore  trust  the  Validity  of  what  I  have  laid 
down  to  a  single  Fact  that  may  be  still  fresh  in  the 
Memory  of  many  living  Spectators.  When  the 
Tragedy  of  Cato  was  first  acted,2  let  us  call  to  mind 
the  noble  Spirit  of  Patriotism  which  that  Play  then 
infus'd  into  the  Breasts  of  a  free  People  that  crowded 
to  it ;  with  what  affecting  Force  was  that  most 
elevated  of  Human  Virtues  recommended  ?  Even 
the  false  Pretenders  to  it  felt  an  unwilling  Conviction, 

1  Horace,  Epis.,  i.  6,  68.     2  At  Drury  Lane,  i4th  April,  1713. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  2J 

and  made  it  a  Point  of  Honour  to  be  foremost  in 
their  Approbation ;  and  this,  too,  at  a  time  when 
the  fermented  Nation  had  their  different  Views  of 
Government.  Yet  the  sublime  Sentiments  of  Liberty 
in  that  venerable  Character  rais'd  in  every  sensible 
Hearer  such  conscious  Admiration,  such  compell'd 
Assent  to  the  Conduct  of  a  suffering  Virtue,  as  even 
demanded  two  almost  irreconcileable  Parties  to  em 
brace  and  join  in  their  equal  Applauses  of  it.1  Now, 
not  to  take  from  the  Merit  of  the  Writer,  had  that 
Play  never  come  to  the  Stage,  how  much  of  this 
valuable  Effect  of  it  must  have  been  lost  ?  It  then 
could  have  had  no  more  immediate  weight  with  the 
Publick  than  our  poring  upon  the  many  ancient 
Authors  thro'  whose  Works  the  same  Sentiments 
have  been  perhaps  less  profitably  dispersed,  tho' 
amongst  Millions  of  Readers ;  but  by  bringing  such 
Sentiments  to  the  Theatre  and  into  Action,  what  a 
superior  Lustre  did  they  shine  with  ?  There  Cato 
breath' d  again  in  Life ;  and  though  he  perish' d  in 
the  Cause  of  Liberty,  his  Virtue  was  victorious,  and 
left  the  Triumph  of  it  in  the  Heart  of  every  melting 
Spectator.  If  Effects  like  these  are  laudable,  if  the 
Representation  of  such  Plays  can  carry  Conviction 
with  so  much  Pleasure  to  the  Understanding,  have 

1  This  is  a  pretty  way  of  putting  what  Johnson,  in  his  Life  of 
Addison,  afterwards  stated  in  the  well-known  words  :  "The  Whigs 
applauded  every  line  in  which  Liberty  was  mentioned,  as  a  satire 
on  the  Tories ;  and  the  Tories  echoed  every  clap  to  show  that  the 
satire  was  unfelt."  In  trie  next  paragraph  Johnson  describes  the 
play  as  "  supported  by  the  emulation  of  factious  praise." 


28  THE   LIFE   OF 

they  not  vastly  the  Advantage  of  any  other  Human 
Helps  to  Eloquence  ?  What  equal  Method  can  be 
found  to  lead  or  stimulate  the  Mind  to  a  quicker 
Sense  of  Truth  and  Virtue,  or  warm  a  People  into 
the  Love  and  Practice  of  such  Principles  as  might 
be  at  once  a  Defence  and  Honour  to  their  Country  ? 
In  what  Shape  could  we  listen  to  Virtue  with  equal 
Delight  or  Appetite  of  Instruction  ?  The  Mind  of 
Man  is  naturally  free,  and  when  he  is  compelled  or 
menac'd  into  any  Opinion  that  he  does  not  readily 
conceive,  he  is  more  apt  to  doubt  the  Truth  of  it 
than  when  his  Capacity  is  led  by  Delight  into  Evi 
dence  and  Reason.  To  preserve  a  Theatre  in  this 
Strength  and  Purity  of  Morals  is,  I  grant,  what  the 
wisest  Nations  have  not  been  able  to  perpetuate  or 
to  transmit  long  to  their  Posterity  :  But  this  Difficulty 
will  rather  heighten  than  take  from  the  Honour  of 
the  Theatre:  The  greatest  Empires  have  decay d 
for  want  of  proper  Heads  to  guide  them,  and  the 
Ruins  of  them  sometimes  have  been  the  Subject  of 
Theatres  that  could  not  be  themselves  exempt  from 
as  various  Revolutions:  Yet  may  not  the  most 
natural  Inference  from  all  this  be,  That  the  Talents 
requisite  to  form  good  Actors,  great  Writers,  and 
true  Judges  were,  like  those  of  wise  and  memorable 
Ministers,  as  well  the  Gifts  of  Fortune  as  of  Nature, 
and  not  always  to  be  found  in  all  Climes  or  Ages. 
Or  can  there  be  a  stronger  modern  Evidence  of 
the  Value  of  Dramatick  Performances  than  that  in 
many  Countries  where  the  Papal  Religion  prevails 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  29 

the  Holy  Policy  (though  it  allows  not  to  an  Actor 
Christian  Burial)  is  so  conscious  of  the  Usefulness 
of  his  Art  that  it  will  frequently  take  in  the  Assis 
tance  of  the  Theatre  to  give  even  Sacred  History,  in 
a  Tragedy,  a  Recommendation  to  the  more  pathetick 
Regard  of  their  People.  How  can  such  Principles, 
in  the  Face  of  the  World,  refuse  the  Bones  of  a 
Wretch  the  lowest  Benefit  of  Christian  Charity  after 
having  admitted  his  Profession  (for  which  they  de 
prive  him  of  that  Charity)  to  serve  the  solemn  Pur 
poses  of  Religion  ?  How  far  then  is  this  Religious 
Inhumanity  short  of  that  famous  Painter's,  who,  to 
make  his  Crucifix  a  Master-piece  of  Nature,  stabb'd 
the  Innocent  Hireling  from  whose  Body  he  drew  it; 
and  having  heighten' d  the  holy  Portrait  with  his  last 
Agonies  of  Life,  then  sent  it  to  be  the  consecrated 
Ornament  of  an  Altar  ?  Though  we  have  only  the 
Authority  of  common  Fame  for  this  Story,  yet  be  it 
true  or  false  the  Comparison  will  still  be  just.  Or 
let  me  ask  another  Question  more  humanly  political. 

How  came  the  Athenians  to  lay  out  an  Hundred 
Thousand  Pounds  upon  the  Decorations  of  one  single 
Tragedy  of  Sophocles?^  Not,  sure,  as  it  was  merely 
a  Spectacle  for  Idleness  or  Vacancy  of  Thought  to 
gape  at,  but  because  it  was  the  most  rational,  most 
instructive  and  delightful  Composition  that  Human 
Wit  had  yet  arrived  at,  and  consequently  the  most 
worthy  to  be  the  Entertainment  of  a  wise  and  war 
like  Nation  :  And  it  may  be  still  a  Question  whether 

1  I  confess  I  do  not  know  Gibber's  authority  for  this  statement. 


30  THE    LIFE   OF 

the  Sophocles  inspired  this  Publick  Spirit,  or  this 
Publick  Spirit  inspir'd  the  Sophocles  ?  * 

But  alas  !  as  the  Power  of  giving  or  receiving  such 
Inspirations  from  either  of  these  Causes  seems  pretty 
well  at  an  End,  now  I  have  shot  my  Bolt  I  shall 
descend  to  talk  more  like  a  Man  of  the  Age  I  live 
in  :  For,  indeed,  what  is  all  this  to  a  common  English 
Reader  ?  Why  truly,  as  Shakespear  terms  it — 
Caviare  to  the  Multitude  / 2  Honest  John  Trott  will 
tell  you,  that  if  he  were  to  believe  what  I  have  said 
of  the  Athenians,  he  is  at  most  but  astonish'd  at  it ; 
but  that  if  the  twentieth  Part  of  the  Sum  I  have 
mentioned  were  to  be  apply' d  out  of  the  Publick 
money  to  the  Setting  off  the  best  Tragedy  the  nicest 
Noddle  in  the  Nation  could  produce,  it  would  pro 
bably  raise  the  Passions  higher  in  those  that  did  Not 
like  it  than  in  those  that  did;  it  might  as  likely 
meet  with  an  Insurrection  as  the  Applause  of  the 
People,  and  so,  mayhap,  be  fitter  for  the  Subject  of 
a  Tragedy  than  for  a  publick  Fund  to  support  it, 

Truly,  Mr.  Trott,  I  cannot  but  own  that  I  am 

very  much  of  your  Opinion :  I  am  only  concerned 
that  the  Theatre  has  not  a  better  Pretence  to  the 
Care  and  further  Consideration  of  those  Govern 
ments  where  it  is  tolerated ;  but  as  what  I  have  said 

1  "  The  Laureat "  abuses  Gibber  for  this  sentence,  declaring  that 
he  evidently  considered  "  Sophocles  "  to  be  the  name  of  a  tragedy. 
But  Gibber's  method  of  expression,  though   curious,  does   not 
justify  this  attack. 

2  "Caviare  to  the  general."—"  Hamlet,"  act  ii.  sc.  2. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  31 

will  not  probably  do  it  any  great  Harm,  I  hope  I 
have  not  put  you  out  of  Patience  by  throwing  a  few 
good  Wishes  after  an  old  Acquaintance. 

To  conclude  this  Digression.  If  for  the  Support 
of  the  Stage  what  is  generally  shewn  there  must  be 
lower'd  to  the  Taste  of  common  Spectators ;  or  if  it 
is  inconsistent  with  Liberty  to  mend  that  Vulgar 
Taste  by  making  the  Multitude  less  merry  there  ;  or 
by  abolishing  every  low  and  senseless  Jollity  in 
which  the  Understanding  can  have  no  Share  ;  when 
ever,  I  say,  such  is  the  State  of  the  Stage,  it  will  be 
as  often  liable  to  unanswerable  Censure  and  manifest 
Disgraces.  Yet  there  was  a  Time,  not  yet  out  of 
many  People's  Memory,  when  it  subsisted  upon  its 
own  rational  Labours  ;  when  even  Success  attended 
an  Attempt  to  reduce  it  to  Decency;  and  when 
Actors  themselves  were  hardy  enough  to  hazard 
their  Interest  in  pursuit  of  so  dangerous  a  Reforma 
tion.  And  this  Crisis  I  am  my  self  as  impatient  as 
any  tir'd  Reader  can  be  to  arrive  at.  I  shall  there 
fore  endeavour  to  lead  him  the  shortest  way  to  it. 
But  as  I  am  a  little  jealous  of  the  badness  of  the 
Road,  I  must  reserve  to  myself  the  Liberty  of  calling 
upon  any  Matter  in  my  way,  for  a  little  Refreshment 
to  whatever  Company  may  have  the  Curiosity  or 
Goodness  to  go  along  with  me. 

When  the  sole  Menaging  Patentee  at  Drury-Lane 
for  several  Years  could  never  be  persuaded  or  driven 
to  any  Account  with  the  Adventurers,  Sir  Thomas 
Skipwith  (who,  if  I  am  rightly  inform'd,  had  an  equal 


32  THE    LIFE   OF 

Share  with  him 1 )  grew  so  weary  of  the  Affair  that 
he  actually  made  a  Present  of  his  entire  Interest  in 
it  upon  the  following  Occasion. 

Sir  Thomas  happened  in  the  Summer  preceding 
the  Re-union  of  the  Companies  to  make  a  Visit  to 
an  intimate  Friend  of  his,  Colonel  Brett,  of  Sandy- 
well,  in  Gloucestershire ;  where  the  Pleasantness  of 
the  Place,  and  the  agreeable  manner  of  passing  his 
Time  there,  had  raised  him  to  such  a  Gallantry  of 
Heart,  that  in  return  to  the  Civilities  of  his  Friend 
the  Colonel  he  made  him  an  Offer  of  his  whole 
Right  in  the  Patent ;  but  not  to  overrate  the  Value 
of  his  Present,  told  him  he  himself  had  made  nothing 
of  it  these  ten  Years :  But  the  Colonel  (he  said) 
being  a  greater  Favourite  of  the  People  in  Power, 
and  (as  he  believ'd)  among  the  Actors  too,  than  him 
self  was,  might  think  of  some  Scheme  to  turn  it  to 
Advantage,  and  in  that  Light,  if  he  lik'd  it,  it  was  at 

1  Malone  supposes  that  Skipwith  acquired  his  shares  from  the 
Killigrew  family,  but  in  the  indenture  by  which  he  transferred 
his  interest  to  Brett,  it  seems  as  if  he  had  acquired  part  of  it  from 
Alexander  Davenant,  and  the  remainder  by  buying  up  shares  of 
the  original  Adventurers.  The  indenture  will  be  found  at  length 
in  Mr.  Percy  Fitzgerald's  "  New  History  of  the  English  Stage,"  i. 
252.  Skipwith  is  described  in  the  "  Biog.  Dram."  (i.  487)  as  "a 
weak,  vain,  conceited  coxcomb."  The  proportion  in  which  the 
shares  were  divided  among  the  various  holders  is  shown  by  the 
"  Opinion  "  of  Northey  and  Raymond,  in  1711,  to  have  been  this  : 
Three-twentieths  belonged  to  Charles  Killigrew.  The  remainder 
was  divided  into  tenths,  of  which  two-tenths  belonged  to  Rich ; 
the  other  eight  parts  were  owned  by  the  Mortgagees  or  Adven 
turers.  If  Gibber's  supposition  is  correct,  two  of  these  parts 
belonged  to  Shipwith. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  33 

his  Service.  After  a  great  deal  of  Raillery  on  both 
sides  of  what  Sir  Thomas  had  not  made  of  it,  and  the 
particular  Advantages  the  Colonel  was  likely  to  make 
of  it,  they  came  to  a  laughing  Resolution  That  an 
Instrument  should  be  drawn  the  next  Morning  of  an 
Absolute  Conveyance  of  the  Premises.  A  Gentle 
man  of  the  Law  well  known  to  them  both  happen 
ing  to  be  a  Guest  there  at  the  same  time,  the  next 
Day  produced  the  Deed  according  to  his  Instruc 
tions,  in  the  Presence  of  whom  and  of  others  it  was 
sign'd,  seal'd,  and  deliver'd  to  the  Purposes  therein 
contain'd.1 

This  Transaction  may  be  another  Instance  (as  I 
have  elsewhere  observed)  at  how  low  a  Value  the 
Interests  in  a  Theatrical  License  were  then  held, 
tho'  it  was  visible  from  the  Success  of  Swiney  in  that 
very  Year  that  with  tolerable  Menagement  they 
could  at  no  time  have  fail'd  of  being  a  profitable 
Purchase. 

The  next  Thing  to  be  consider'd  was  what  the 
Colonel  should  do  with  his  new  Theatrical  Commis 
sion,  which  in  another's  Possession  had  been  of  so 
little  Importance.  Here  it  may  be  necessary  to  pre 
mise  that  this  Gentleman  was  the  first  of  any  Con 
sideration  since  my  coming  to  the  Stage  with  whom 
I  had  contracted  a  Personal  Intimacy;  which  might 
be  the  Reason  why  in  this  Debate  my  Opinion  had 
some  Weight  with  him  :  Of  this  Intimacy,  too,  I  am 
the  more  tempted  to  talk  from  the  natural  Pleasure 
1  It  is  dated  6th  October,  1707. 


34  THE   LIFE   OF 

of  calling  back  in  Age  the  Pursuits  and  happy 
Ardours  of  Youth  long  past,  which,  like  the  Ideas 
of  a  delightful  Spring  in  a  Winter's  Rumination, 
are  sometimes  equal  to  the  former  Enjoyment  of 
them.  I  shall,  therefore,  rather  chuse  in  this  Place 
to  gratify  my  self  than  my  Reader,  by  setting  the 
fairest  Side  of  this  Gentleman  in  view,  and  by  indulg 
ing  a  little  conscious  Vanity  in  shewing  how  early  in 
Life  I  fell  into  the  Possession  of  so  agreeable  a  Com 
panion  :  Whatever  Failings  he  might  have  to  others, 
he  had  none  to  me ;  nor  was  he,  where  he  had  them, 
without  his  valuable  Qualities  to  balance  or  soften 
them.  Let,  then,  what  was  not  to  be  commended  in 
him  rest  with  his  Ashes,  never  to  be  rak'd  into  :  But 
the  friendly  Favours  I  received  from  him  while 
living  give  me  still  a  Pleasure  in  paying  this  only 
Mite  of  my  Acknowledgment  in  my  Power  to  his 
Memory.  And  if  my  taking  this  Liberty  may  find 
Pardon  from  several  of  his  fair  Relations  still  living, 
for  whom  I  profess  the  utmost  Respect,  it  will  give 
me  but  little  Concern  tho'  my  critical  Readers  should 
think  it  all  Impertinence. 

This  Gentleman,  then,  Henry,  was  the  eldest  Son 
of  Henry  Brett,  Esq ;  of  Cow  ley,  in  Gloucestershire, 
who  coming  early  to  his  Estate  of  about  Two  Thou 
sand  a  Year,  by  the  usual  Negligences  of  young 
Heirs  had,  before  this  his  eldest  Son  came  of  age, 
sunk  it  to  about  half  that  Value,  and  that  not  wholly 
free  from  Incumbrances.  Mr.  Brett,  whom  I  am 
speaking  of,  had  his  Education,  and  I  might  say, 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  35 

ended  it,  at  the  University  of  Oxford ';  for  tho'  he 
was  settled  some  time  after  at  the  Temple,  he  so  little 
followed  the  Law  there  that  his  Neglect  of  it  made 
the  Law  (like  some  of  his  fair  and  frail  Admirers) 
very  often  follow  him.     As  he  had  an  uncommon 
Share  of  Social  Wit  and  a  handsom  Person,  with  a 
sanguine  Bloom  in  his  Complexion,  no  wonder  they 
persuaded  him  that  he  might  have  a  better  Chance 
of  Fortune  by  throwing  such  Accomplishments  into 
the  gayer  World  than  by  shutting  them  up  in  a 
Study.     The  first  View  that  fires  the   Head  of  a 
young   Gentleman   of  this    modish   Ambition    just 
broke  loose  from  Business,  is  to  cut  a  Figure  (as  they 
call  it)  in  a  Side-box  at  the  Play,  from  whence  their 
next  Step  is  to  the  Green  Room  behind  the  Scenes, 
sometimes  their  Non  ultra.     Hither  at  last,  then,  in 
this  hopeful  Quest  of  his  Fortune,  came  this  Gentle 
man-Errant,  not  doubting  but  the  fickle  Dame,  while 
he  was  thus  qualified  to  receive  her,  might  be  tempted 
to   fall   into   his    Lap.     And   though   possibly   the 
Charms  of  our  Theatrical  Nymphs  might  have  their 
Share  in  drawing  him  thither,  yet  in  my  Observa 
tion  the  most  visible  Cause  of  his  first  coming  was  a 
more  sincere  Passion  he  had  conceived  for  a  fair  full- 
bottom'd  Perriwig  which  I  then  wore  in  my  first  Play 
of  the  Fool  in  Fashion  in  the  Year  1695.*     For  it  is 
to  be  noted  that  the  Beaux  of  those  Days  were  of  a 
quite  different  Cast  from  the  modern  Stamp,  and  had 

1  As  noted  vol.  i.  p.  213,  January,  1695,  Old  Style;  that  is, 
January,  1696. 


36  THE    LIFE    OF 

more  of  the  Stateliness  of  the  Peacock  in  their  Mien 
than  (which  now  seems  to  be  their-  highest  Emula 
tion)  the  pert  Air  of  a  Lapwing.  Now,  whatever 
Contempt  Philosophers  may  have  for  a  fine  Perriwig, 
my  Friend,  who  was  not  to  despise  the  World,  but 
to  live  in  it,  knew  very  well  that  so  material  an 
Article  of  Dress  upon  the  Head  of  a  Man  of  Sense, 
if  it  became  him,  could  never  fail  of  drawing  to  him 
a  more  partial  Regard  and  Benevolence  than  could 
possibly  be  hoped  for  in  an  ill-made  one.1  This  per 
haps  may  soften  the  grave  Censure  which  so  youth 
ful  a  Purchase  might  otherwise  have  laid  upon  him  : 
In  a  Word,  he  made  his  Attack  upon  this  Perriwig, 
as  your  young  Fellows  generally  do  upon  a  Lady  of 
Pleasure,  first  by  a  few  familiar  Praises  of  her  Person, 
and  then  a  civil  Enquiry  into  the  Price  of  it.  But 
upon  his  observing  me  a  little  surprized  at  the  Levity 
of  his  Question  about  a  Fop's  Perriwig,  he  began  to 
railly  himself  with  so  much  Wit  and  Humour  upon 
the  Folly  of  his  Fondness  for  it,  that  he  struck  me 
with  an  equal  Desire  of  granting  any  thing  in  my 

1  Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  84)  says :  "  The  heads  of  the  Eng 
lish  actors  were,  for  a  long  time,  covered  with  large  full-bottomed 
perriwigs,  a  fashion  introduced  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  which 
was  not  entirely  disused  in  public  till  about  the  year  1720. 
Addison,  Congreve,  and  Steele,  met  at  Button's  coffee-house,  in 
large,  flowing,  flaxen  wigs ;  Booth,  Wilks,  and  Gibber,  when  full- 
dressed,  wore  the  same.  Till  within  these  twenty-five  years,  our 
Tamerlanes  and  Catos  had  as  much  hair  on  their  heads  as  our 
judges  on  the  bench.  ...  I  have  been  told,  that  he  [Booth]  and 
Wilks  bestowed  forty  guineas  each  on  the  exorbitant  thatching  of 
their  heads." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  37 

Power  to  oblige  so  facetious  a  Customer.  This 
singular  Beginning  of  our  Conversation,  and  the 
mutual  Laughs  that  ensued  upon  it,  ended  in  an 
Agreement  to  finish  our  Bargain  that  Night  over  a 
Bottle. 

If  it  were  possible  the  Relation  of  the  happy  Indis 
cretions  which  passed  between  us  that  Night  could 
give  the  tenth  Part  of  the  Pleasure  I  then  received 
from  them,  I  could  still  repeat  them  with  Delight : 
But  as  it  may  be  doubtful  whether  the  Patience  of  a 
Reader  may  be  quite  so  strong  as  the  Vanity  of  an 
Author,  I  shall  cut  it  short  by  only  saying  that  single 
Bottle  was  the  Sire  of  many  a  jolly  Dozen  that  for 
some  Years  following,  like  orderly  Children,  when 
ever  they  were  call'd  for,  came  into  the  same  Com 
pany.  Nor,  indeed,  did  I  think  from  that  time, 
whenever  he  was  to  be  had,  any  Evening  could 
be  agreeably  enjoy'd  without  him.1  But  the  long 
continuance  of  our  Intimacy  perhaps  may  be  thus 
accounted  for. 

He  who  can  taste  Wit  in  another  may  in  some 
sort  be  said  to  have  it  himself:  Now,  as  I  always 

1  "  The  Laureat,"  p.  66,  relates  with  great  acrimony  an  anec 
dote  of  Colonel  Brett's  reproving  Gibber  harshly  for  his  treatment 
of  an  author  who  had  submitted  a  play  to  him.  Gibber  is  said  to 
have  opened  the  author's  MS.,  and,  having  read  two  lines  only,  to 
have  returned  it  to  him  saying,  "  Sir,  it  will  not  do."  Going  to 
Button's,  he  related  his  exploit  with  great  glee,  but  was  rebuked  in 
the  strongest  terms  by  Colonel  Brett,  who  is  said  to  have  put  him 
to  shame  before  the  whole  company.  This  is  related  as  having 
occurred  many  years  after  the  time  Gibber  now  writes  of;  the 
suggestion  being  that  Brett  did  not  consider  Gibber  as  a  friend. 
II.  D 


38  THE    LIFE    OF 

had,  and  (I  bless  my  self  for  the  Folly)  still  have  a 
quick  Relish  of  whatever  did  or  can  give  me  Delight : 
This  Gentleman  could  not  but  see  the  youthful  Joy 
I  was  generally  raised  to  whenever  I  had  the  Hap 
piness  of  a  T£te  a  tete  with  him ;  and  it  may  be  a 
moot  Point  whether  Wit  is  not  as  often  inspired  by  a 
proper  Attention  as  by  the  brightest  Reply  to  it. 
Therefore,  as  he  had  Wit  enough  for  any  two  People, 
and  I  had  Attention  enough  for  any  four,  there  could 
not  well  be  wanting  a  sociable  Delight  on  either  side. 
And  tho'  it  may  be  true  that  a  Man  of  a  handsome 
Person  is  apt  to  draw  a  partial  Ear  to  every  thing 
he  says ;  yet  this  Gentleman  seldom  said  any  thing 
that  might  not  have  made  a  Man  of  the  plainest 
Person  agreeable.  Such  a  continual  Desire  to  please, 
it  may  be  imagined,  could  not  but  sometimes  lead 
him  into  a  little  venial  Flattery  rather  than  not 
succeed  in  it.  And  I,  perhaps,  might  be  one  of 
those  Flies  that  was  caught  in  this  Honey.  As  I 
was  then  a  young  successful  Author  and  an  Actor 
in  some  unexpected  Favour,  whether  deservedly  or 
not  imports  not ;  yet  such  Appearances  at  least  were 
plausible  Pretences  enough  for  an  amicable  Adula 
tion  to  enlarge  upon,  and  the  Sallies  of  it  a  less 
Vanity  than  mine  might  not  have  been  able  to  resist. 
Whatever  this  Weakness  on  my  side  might  be,  I  was 
not  alone  in  it ;  for  I  have  heard  a  Gentleman  of 
Condition  say,  who  knew  the  World  as  well  as  most 
Men  that  live  in  it,  that  let  his  Discretion  be  ever 
so  much  upon  its  Guard,  he  never  fell  into  Mr.  Brett's 


MR.  COLLEY    GIBBER.  39 

Company  without  being  loth  to  leave  it  or  carrying 
away  a  better  Opinion  of  himself  from  it.  If  his 
Conversation  had  this  Effect  among  the  Men  ;  what 
must  we  suppose  to  have  been  the  Consequence 
when  he  gave  it  a  yet  softer  turn  among  the  Fair 
Sex  ?  Here,  now,  a  French  Novellist  would  tell  you 
fifty  pretty  Lies  of  him  ;  but  as  I  chuse  to  be  tender 
of  Secrets  of  that  sort,  I  shall  only  borrow  the  good 
Breeding  of  that  Language,  and  tell  you  in  a  Word, 
that  I  knew  several  Instances  of  his  being  un 
Homme  a  bonne  Fortune.  But  though  his  frequent 
Successes  might  generally  keep  him  from  the  usual 
Disquiets  of  a  Lover,  he  knew  this  was  a  Life  too 
liquorish  to  last ;  and  therefore  had  Reflexion  enough 
to  be  govern'd  by  the  Advice  of  his  Friends  to  turn 
these  his  Advantages  of  Nature  to  a  better  use. 

Among  the  many  Men  of  Condition  with  whom 
his  Conversation  had  recommended  him  to  an  Inti 
macy,  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith  had  taken  a  particular 
Inclination  to  him  ;  and  as  he  had  the  Advancement 
of  his  Fortune  at  Heart,  introduced  him  where  there 
was  a  Lady *  who  had  enough  in  her  Power  to  dis 
encumber  him  of  the  World  and  make  him  every 
way  easy  for  Life. 

While  he  was  in  pursuit  of  this  Affair,  which  no 
time  was  to  be  lost  in  (for  the  Lady  was  to  be  in 

1  This  was  the  Countess  of  Macclesfield,  the  supposed  mother  of 
Richard  Savage,  who  had  a  large  fortune  in  her  own  right,  of  which 
she  was  not  deprived  on  her  divorce  from  the  Earl  of  Macclesfield. 
Shortly  after  her  divorce,  probably  about  1698,  she  married  Brett. 
She  lived  to  be  eighty,  or  over  it,  dying  nth  October,  1753. 


4O  THE    LIFE    OF 

Town  but  for  three  Weeks)  I  one  Day  found  him 
idling  behind  the  Scenes  before  the  Play  was  begun. 
Upon  sight  of  him  I  took  the  usual  Freedom  he 
allow'd  me,  to  rate  him  roundly  for  the  Madness  of 
not  improving  every  Moment  in  his  Power  in  what 
was  of  such  consequence  to  him.  Why  are  you  not 
(said  I)  where  you  know  you  only  should  be  ?  If 
your  Design  should  once  get  Wind  in  the  Town, 
the  Ill-will  of  your  Enemies  or  the  Sincerity  of 
the  Lady's  Friends  may  soon  blow  up  your  Hopes, 
which  in  your  Circumstances  of  Life  cannot  be  long 
supported  by  the  bare  Appearance  of  a  Gentleman. 

But  it  is  impossible  to  proceed  without  some 

Apology  for  the  very  familiar  Circumstance  that  is 

to  follow Yet,  as  it  might  not  be  so  trivial  in  its 

Effect  as  I  fear  it  may  be  in  the  Narration,  and  is  a 
Mark  of  that  Intimacy  which  is  necessary  should  be 
known  had  been  between  us,  I  will  honestly  make 
bold  with  my  Scruples  and  let  the  plain  Truth  of  my 
Story  take  its  Chance  for  Contempt  or  Approbation. 
After  twenty  Excuses  to  clear  himself  of  the 
Neglect  I  had  so  warmly  charged  him  with,  he  con 
cluded  them  with  telling  me  he  had  been  out  all  the 
Morning  upon  Business,  and  that  his  Linnen  was  too 
much  soil'd  to  be  seen  in  Company.  Oh,  ho!  said 
I,  is  that  all  ?  Come  along  with  me,  we  will  soon  get 
over  that  dainty  Difficulty :  Upon  which  I  haul'd 
him  by  the  Sleeve  into  my  Shifting- Room,  he  either 
staring,  laughing,  or  hanging  back  all  the  way. 
There,  when  I  had  lock'd  him  in,  I  began  to  strip  off 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  4! 

my  upper  Cloaths,  and  bad  him  do  the  same  ;  still  he 
either  did  not,  or  would  not  seem  to  understand  me, 
and  continuing  his  Laugh,  cry'd,  What !  is  the  Puppy 
mad  ?  No,  no,  only  positive,  said  I  ;  for  look  you, 
in  short,  the  Play  is  ready  to  begin,  and  the  Parts 
that  you  and  I  are  to  act  to  Day  are  not  of  equal 
consequence  ;  mine  of  young  Reveller  (in  Greenwich- 
Park  ')  is  but  a  Rake ;  but  whatever  you  may  be, 
you  are  not  to  appear  so  ;  therefore  take  my  Shirt 
and  give  me  yours  ;  for  depend  upon't,  stay  here  you 
shall  not,  and  so  go  about  your  Business.  To  con 
clude,  we  fairly  chang'd  Linnen,  nor  could  his 
Mother's  have  wrap'd  him  up  more  fortunately ;  for 
in  about  ten  Days  he  marry' d  the  Lady.2  In  a 
Year  or  two  after  his  Marriage  he  was  chosen  a 
Member  of  that  Parliament  which  was  sitting  when 

1  A  comedy  by  Mountfort  the  actor,  originally  played  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,   1691.     The  part  of  Young  Reveller  was  then 
taken  by  the  author,  and  we  have  no  record  of  Gibber's  playing  it 
before  1708;  but  from  this  anecdote  he  must  have  done  so  ten 
years  earlier. 

2  In  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson  (i.  174)   there  is  a  note  by 
Boswell  himself: — 

"  Miss  Mason,  after  having  forfeited  the  title  of  Lady  Maccles- 
field  by  divorce,  was  married  to  Colonel  Brett,  and,  it  is  said,  was 
well  known  in  all  the  polite  circles.  Colley  Gibber,  I  am  in 
formed,  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  her  taste  and  judgement  as  to 
genteel  life,  and  manners,  that  he  submitted  every  scene  of  his 
Careless  Husband  to  Mrs.  Brett's  revisal  and  correction.  Colonel 
Brett  was  reported  to  be  too  free  in  his  gallantry  with  his  Lady's 
maid.  Mrs.  Brett  came  into  a  room  one  day  in  her  own  house, 
and  found  the  Colonel  and  her  maid  both  fast  asleep  in  two 
chairs.  She  tied  a  white  handkerchief  round  her  husband's  neck, 


42  THE    LIFE   OF 

King  William  dy'd.  And,  upon  raising  of  some 
new  Regiments,  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel  to 
that  of  Sir  Charles  Hotham.  But  as  his  Ambition 
extended  not  beyond  the  Bounds  of  a  Park  Wall 
and  a  pleasant  Retreat  in  the  Corner  of  it,  which 
with  too  much  Expence  he  had  just  finish'd,  he, 
within  another  Year,  had  leave  to  resign  his  Com 
pany  to  a  younger  Brother. 

This  was  the  Figure  in  Life  he  made  when  Sir 
Thomas  Skipwith  thought  him  the  most  proper  Per 
son  to  oblige  (if  it  could  be  an  Obligation)  with  the 
Present  of  his  Interest  in  the  Patent.  And  from 
these  Anecdotes  of  my  Intimacy  with  him,  it  may  be 
less  a  Surprise,  when  he  came  to  Town  invested  with 
this  new  Theatrical  Power,  that  I  should  be  the  first 
Person  to  whom  he  took  any  Notice  of  it.  And 
notwithstanding  he  knew  I  was  then  engag'd,  in 
another  Interest,  at  the  Hay -Market,  he  desired  we 
might  consider  together  of  the  best  Use  he  could 
make  of  it,  assuring  me  at  the  same  time  he  should 
think  it  of  none  to  himself  unless  it  could  in  some 
Shape  be  turn'd  to  my  Advantage.  This  friendly 
Declaration,  though  it  might  be  generous  in  him  to 
make,  was  not  needful  to  incline  me  in  whatever 
might  be  honestly  in  my  Power,  whether  by  Interest 
or  Negotiation,  to  serve  him.  My  first  Advice, 

which  was  a  sufficient  proof  that  she  had  discovered  his  intrigue  ; 
but  she  never  at  any  time  took  notice  of  it  to  him.  This  incident, 
as  I  am  told,  gave  occasion  to  the  well-wrought  scene  of  Sir 
Charles  and  Lady  Easy  and  Edging." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  43 

therefore,  was,  That  he  should  produce  his  Deed  to 
the  other  Menaging  Patentee  of  Drury-Lane,  and 
demand  immediate  Entrance  to  a  joint  Possession  of 
all  Effects  and  Powers  to  which  that  Deed  had  given 
him  an  equal  Title.  After  which,  if  he  met  with  no 
Opposition  to  this  Demand  (as  upon  sight  of  it  he 
did  not)  that  he  should  be  watchful  against  any  Con 
tradiction  from  his  Collegue  in  whatever  he  might 
propose  in  carrying  on  the  Affair,  but  to  let  him  see 
that  he  was  determined  in  all  his  Measures.  Yet  to 
heighten  that  Resolution  with  an  Ease  and  Temper 
in  his  manner,  as  if  he  took  it  for  granted  there  could 
be  no  Opposition  made  to  whatever  he  had  a  mind 
to.  For  that  this  Method,  added  to  his  natural 
Talent  of  Persuading,  would  imperceptibly  lead  his 
Collegue  into  a  Reliance  on  his  superior  Under 
standing,  That  however  little  he  car'd  for  Business 
he  should  give  himself  the  Air  at  least  of  Enquiry 
into  what  had  been  done,  that  what  he  intended  to 
do  might  be  thought  more  considerable  and  be  the 
readier  comply'd  with  :  For  if  he  once  suffer'd  his 
Collegue  to  seem  wiser  than  himself,  there  would  be 
no  end  of  his  perplexing  him  with  absurd  and  dilatory 
Measures  ;  direct  and  plain  Dealing  being  a  Quality 
his  natural  Diffidence  would  never  suffer  him  to  be 
Master  of;  of  which  his  not  complying  with  his 
Verbal  Agreement  with  Swiney,  when  the  Hay- 
Market  House  was  taken  for  both  their  Uses,  was 
an  Evidence.  And  though  some  People  thought 
it  Depth  and  Policy  in  him  to  keep  things  often  in 


44  THE    LIFE    OF 

Confusion,  it  was  ever  my  Opinion  they  over-rated 
his  Skill,  and  that,  in  reality,  his  Parts  were  too  weak 
for  his  Post,  in  which  he  had  always  acted  to  the 
best  of  his  Knowledge.  That  his  late  Collegue,  Sir 
Thomas  Shipwith,  had  trusted  too  much  to  his 
Capacity  for  this  sort  of  Business,  and  was  treated 
by  him  accordingly,  without  ever  receiving  any  Profits 
from  it  for  several  Years  :  Insomuch  that  when  he 
found  his  Interest  in  such  desperate  Hands  he 
thought  the  best  thing  he  could  do  with  it  was  (as 
he  saw)  to  give  it  away.  Therefore  if  he  (Mr.  Brett} 
could  once  fix  himself,  as  I  had  advis'd,  upon  a  dif 
ferent  Foot  with  this  hitherto  untractable  Menager, 
the  Business  would  soon  run  through  whatever 
Channel  he  might  have  a  mind  to  lead  it.  And 
though  I  allow'd  the  greatest  Difficulty  he  would 
meet  with  would  be  in  getting  his  Consent  to  a 
Union  of  the  two  Companies,  which  was  the  only 
Scheme  that  could  raise  the  Patent  to  its  former 
Value,  and  which  I  knew  this  close  Menager  would 
secretly  lay  all  possible  Rubs  in  the  way  to ;  yet  it 
was  visible  there  was  a  way  of  reducing  him  to  Com 
pliance  :  For  though  it  was  true  his  Caution  would 
never  part  with  a  Straw  by  way  of  Concession,  yet 
to  a  high  Hand  he  would  give  up  any  thing,  pro 
vided  he  were  suffer'd  to  keep  his  Title  to  it :  If  his 
Hat  were  taken  from  his  Head  in  the  Street,  he 
would  make  no  farther  Resistance  than  to  say,  /  am 
not  willing  to  part  with  it.  Much  less  would  he 
have  the  Resolution  openly  to  oppose  any  just 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  45 

Measures,  when  he  should  find  one,  who  with  an 
equal  Right  to  his  and  with  a  known  Interest  to 
bring  them  about,  was  resolv'd  to  go  thro'  with  them. 

Now  though  I  knew  my  Friend  was  as  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  this  Patentee's  Temper  as  myself, 
yet  I  thought  it  not  amiss  to  quicken  and  support 
his  Resolution,  by  confirming  to  him  the  little  Trouble 
he  would  meet  with,  in  pursuit  of  the  Union  I  had 
advis'd  him  to;  for  it  must  be  known  that  on  our 
side  Trouble  was  a  sort  of  Physick  we  did  not  much 
care  to  take :  But  as  the  Fatigue  of  this  Affair  was 
likely  to  be  lower'd  by  a  good  deal  of  Entertainment 
and  Humour,  which  would  naturally  engage  him  in 
his  dealing  with  so  exotick  a  Partner,  I  knew  that 
this  softening  the  Business  into  a  Diversion  would 
lessen  every  Difficulty  that  lay  in  our  way  to  it. 

However  copiously  I  may  have  indulg'd  my  self 
in  this  Commemoration  of  a  Gentleman  with  whom 
I  had  pass'd  so  many  of  my  younger  Days  with 
Pleasure,  yet  the  Reader  may  by  this  Insight  into 
his  Character,  and  by  that  of  the  other  Patentee,  be 
better  able  to  judge  of  the  secret  Springs  that  gave 
Motion  to  or  obstructed  so  considerable  an  Event  as 
that  of  the  Re-union  of  the  two  Companies  of  Actors 
in  lyoS.1  In  Histories  of  more  weight,  for  want  of 
such  Particulars  we  are  often  deceived  in  the  true 
Causes  of  Facts  that  most  concern  us  to  be  let  into; 
which  sometimes  makes  us  ascribe  to  Policy,  or  false 

1  See  note,  vol.  i.  p.  301. 


46  THE    LIFE  OF 

Appearances  of  Wisdom,  what  perhaps  in  reality 
was  the  mere  Effect  of  Chance  or  Humour. 

Immediately  after  Mr.  Brett  was  admitted  as  a 
joint  Patentee,  he  made  use  of  the  Intimacy  he  had 
with  the  Vice-Chamberlain  to  assist  his  Scheme  of 
this  intended  Union,  in  which  he  so  far  prevail'd 
that  it  was  soon  after  left  to  the  particular  Care  of 
the  same  Vice-Chamberlain  to  give  him  all  the  Aid 
and  Power  necessary  to  the  bringing  what  he  desired 
to  Perfection.  The  Scheme  was,  to  have  but  one 
Theatre  for  Plays  and  another  for  Operas,  under 
separate  Interests.  And  this  the  generality  of  Spec 
tators,  as  well  as  the  most  approv'd  Actors,  had  been 
some  time  calling  for  as  the  only  Expedient  to  recover 
the  Credit  of  the  Stage  and  the  valuable  Interests  of 
its  Menagers. 

As  the  Condition  of  the  Comedians  at  this  time  is 
taken  notice  of  in  my  Dedication  of  the  Wifes  Re 
sentment  to  the  Marquis  (now  Duke)  of  Kent,  and 
then  Lord-Chamberlain,  which  was  publish'd  above 
thirty  Years  ago,1  when  I  had  no  thought  of  ever 
troubling  the  World  with  this  Theatrical  History,  I 
see  no  Reason  why  it  may  not  pass  as  a  Voucher  of 
the  Facts  I  am  now  speaking  of;  I  shall  therefore 
give  them  in  the  very  Light  I  then  saw  them.  After 
some  Acknowledgment  for  his  Lordship's  Protection 
of  our  (Hay-Market)  Theatre,  it  is  further  said— 

"  The   Stage  has,   for  many  Years,   'till  of  late, 

1  1707.     See  note  on  page  3  of  this  vol. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  47 

"  groan'd  under  the  greatest  Discouragements,  which 
"  have  been  very  much,  if  not  wholly,  owing  to  the 
"  Mismenagement  of  those  that  have  aukwardly 
"  governed  it.  Great  Sums  have  been  ventur'd  upon 
"  empty  Projects  and  Hopes  of  immoderate  Gains, 
11  and  when  those  Hopes  have  fail'd,  the  Loss  has 
"  been  tyrannically  deducted  out  of  the  Actors 
"  Sallary.  And  if  your  Lordship  had  not  redeem'd 
"  them — This  is  meant  of  our  being  suffer  d  to  come 

"  over  to  Swiney they  were  very  near  being 

"  wholly  laid  aside,  or,  at  least,  the  Use  of  their 
"  Labour  was  to  be  swallow' d  up  in  the  pretended 
"  Merit  of  Singing  and  Dancing." 

What  follows  relates  to  the  Difficulties  in  dealing 
with  the  then  impracticable  Menager,  viz. 

"  — And  though  your  Lordship's  Tenderness  of 
"  oppressing  is  so  very  just  that  you  have  rather 
"  staid  to  convince  a  Man  of  your  good  Intentions 
"  to  him  than  to  do  him  even  a  Service  against  his 
"  Will;  yet  since  your  Lordship  has  so  happily  begun 
"  the  Establishment  of  the  separate  Diversions,  we 
"  live  in  hope  that  the  same  Justice  and  Resolution 
"  will  still  persuade  you  to  go  as  successfully  through 
"  with  it.  But  while  any  Man  is  suffer'd  to  confound 
"  the  Industry  and  Use  of  them  by  acting  publickly 
"  in  opposition  to  your  Lordship's  equal  Intentions, 
"  under  a  false  and  intricate  Pretence  of  not  being 
"  able  to  comply  with  them,  the  Town  is  likely  to 
"  be  more  entertain'd  with  the  private  Dissensions 
"  than  the  publick  Performance  of  either,  and  the 


48  THE   LIFE   OF 

"  Actors  in  a  perpetual  Fear  and  Necessity  of 
"  petitioning  your  Lordship  every  Season  for  new 
"  Relief." 

Such  was  the  State  of  the  Stage  immediately  pre 
ceding  the  time  of  Mr.  Brett's  being  admitted  a  joint 
Patentee,  who,  as  he  saw  with  clearer  Eyes  what  was 
its  evident  Interest,  left  no  proper  Measures  un- 
attempted  to  make  this  so  long  despair'd-of  Union 
practicable.  The  most  apparent  Difficulty  to  be  got 
over  in  this  Affair  was,  what  could  be  done  for 
Swiney  in  consideration  of  his  being  obliged  to  give 
up  those  Actors  whom  the  Power  and  Choice  of  the 
Lord-Chamberlain  had  the  Year  before  set  him  at 
the  Head  of,  and  by  whose  Menagement  those 
Actors  had  found  themselves  in  a  prosperous  Condi 
tion.  But  an  Accident  at  this  time  happily  contri 
buted  to  make  that  Matter  easy.  The  Inclination 
of  our  People  of  Quality  for  foreign  Operas  had  now 
reach'd  the  Ears  of  Italy,  and  the  Credit  of  their 
Taste  had  drawn  over  from  thence,  without  any 
more  particular  Invitation,  one  of  their  capital  Singers, 
the  famous  Signior  Cavaliero  Nicolini :  From  whose 
Arrival,  and  the  Impatience  of  the  Town  to  hear 
him,  it  was  concluded  that  Operas  being  now  so 
completely  provided  could  not  fail  of  Success,  and 
that  by  making  Swiney  sole  Director  of  them  the 
Profits  must  be  an  ample  Compensation  for  his  Re 
signation  of  the  Actors.  This  Matter  being  thus 
adjusted  by  Swiney' s  Acceptance  of  the  Opera  only 
to  be  perform'd  at  the  Hay-Market  House,  the 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  49 

Actors  were  all  order'd  to  return  to  Drury-Lane, 
there  to  remain  (under  the  Patentees)  her  Majesty's 
only  Company  of  Comedians.1 

1  The  edict  which  ordered  this  division  of  plays  and  operas  is 
dated  3ist  December,  1707.  Each  theatre  is  ordered  to  confine 
itself  to  its  own  sphere  on  pain  of  being  silenced ;  and  no  other 
theatre  is  permitted  to  be  built.  A  copy  of  the  edict  is  given  by 
Mr.  Percy  Fitzgerald  ("New  History,"  i.  258),  but  it  is  not  a 
verbatim  copy  of  the  original  in  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Office, 
though  it  contains  all  that  is  of  importance  in  it. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  short  View  of  the  Opera  when  first  divided  from  the  Comedy. 
Plays  recover  their  Credit.  The  old  Patentee  uneasy  at  their 
Success.  Why.  The  Occasion  of  Colonel  Brett'j  throwing  up 
his  Share  in  the  Patent.  The  Consequences  of  it.  Anecdotes  of 
Goodman  the  Actor.  The  Rate  of  favourite  Actors  in  his  Time. 
The  Patentees,  by  endeavouring  to  reduce  their  Price,  lose  them  all 
a  second  time.  The  principal  Comedians  return  to  the  Hay- 
Market  in  Shares  with  Swiney.  They  alter  that  Theatre.  The 
original  and  present  Form  of  the  Theatre  in  Drury-Lane  compared. 
Operas  fall  off.  The  Occasion  of  it.  Farther  Observations  upon 
them.  The  Patentee  dispossessed  of  Drury-Lane  Theatre.  Mr. 
Collier,  with  a  new  License,  heads  the  Remains  of  that  Company. 

PLAYS  and  Operas  being  thus  established  upon 
separate  Interests,1  they  were  now  left  to  make 

1  At  the  Union,  1707-8,  the  Lord  Chamberlain  took  measures 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  51 

the  best  of  their  way  into  Favour  by  their  different 
Merit.  Although  the  Opera  is  not  a  Plant  of  our 
Native  Growth,  nor  what  our  plainer  Appetites  are 
fond  of,  and  is  of  so  delicate  a  Nature  that  without 
excessive  Charge  it  cannot  live  long  among  us ; 
especially  while  the  nicest  Connoisseurs  in  Musick 
fall  into  such  various  Heresies  in  Taste,  every  Sect 
pretending  to  be  the  true  one  :  Yet,  as  it  is  call'd  a 
Theatrical  Entertainment,  and  by  its  Alliance  or 
Neutrality  has  more  or  less  affected  our  Domestick 
Theatre,  a  short  View  of  its  Progress  may  be  allow'd 
a  Place  in  our  History. 

After  this  new  Regulation  the  first  Opera  that 
appear'd  was  Pyrrhus.  Subscriptions  at  that  time 
were  not  extended,  as  of  late,  to  the  whole  Season, 
but  were  limited  to  the  first  Six  Days  only  of  a  new 
Opera.  The  chief  Performers  in  this  were  Nicolini, 
Valentini,  and  Mrs.  Tofts\l  and  for  the  inferior 
Parts  the  best  that  were  then  to  be  found.  What 
ever  Praises  may  have  been  given  to  the  most 
famous  Voices  that  have  been  heard  since  Nicolini, 
upon  the  whole  I  cannot  but  come  into  the  Opinion 
that  still  prevails  among  several  Persons  of  Condition 
who  are  able  to  give  a  Reason  for  their  liking,  that 
no  Singer  since  his  Time  has  so  justly  and  grace- 
to  assert  his  supremacy.  Under  date  6th  January,  1708,  he 
orders  that  no  actors  are  to  be  engaged  at  Drury-Lane  who  are 
not  Her  Majesty's  servants,  and  he  therefore  directs  the  managers 
to  send  a  list  of  all  actors  to  be  sworn  in. 

1  Bellchambers  notes  that  Mrs.  Tofts  "  sang  in  English,  while 
her  associates  responded  in  Italian." 


52  THE    LIFE    OF 

fully  acquitted  himself  in  whatever  Character  he 
appear'd  as  Nicolini.  At  most  the  Difference  be 
tween  him  and  the  greatest  Favourite  of  the  Ladies, 
Farinelli,  amounted  but  to  this,  that  he  might  some 
times  more  exquisitely  surprize  us,  but  Nicolini  (by 
pleasing  the  Eye  as  well  as  the  Ear)  fill'd  us  with  a 
more  various  and  rational  Delight.  Whether  in 
this  Excellence  he  has  since  had  any  Competitor, 
perhaps  will  be  better  judg'd  by  what  the  Critical 
Censor  of  Great  Britain  says  of  him  in  his  1  1  5th 
Taller,  viz. 

"  Nicolini  sets  off  the  Character  he  bears  in  an 
"  Opera  by  his  Action,  as  much  as  he  does  the 
"  Words  of  it  by  his  Voice  ;  every  Limb  and  Finger 
"  contributes  to  the  Part  he  acts,  insomuch  that  a 
"  deaf  Man  might  go  along  with  him  in  the  Sense 
"  of  it.  There  is  scarce  a  beautiful  Posture  in  an 
"  old  Statue  which  he  does  not  plant  himself  in,  as 
"  the  different  Circumstances  of  the  Story  give  occa- 
"  sion  for  it  —  He  performs  the  most  ordinary 
"  Action  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the  Greatness  of 
"  his  Character,  and  shews  the  Prince  even  in  the 
"  giving  of  a  Letter  or  dispatching  of  a  Message, 


1  The  whole  passage  regarding  Nicolini  is  :  — 

"  I  went  on  Friday  last  to  the  Opera,  and  was  surprised  to  find 
a  thin  House  at  so  noble  an  Entertainment,  till  I  heard  that  the 
Tumbler  was  not  to  make  his  Appearance  that  Night.  For  my 
own  Part,  I  was  fully  satisfied  with  the  Sight  of  an  Actor,  who,  by 
the  Grace  and  Propriety  of  his  Action  and  Gesture,  does  Honour 
to  an  human  Figure,  as  much  as  the  other  vilifies  and  degrades 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  53 

His  Voice  at  this  first  time  of  being  among  us  (for 
he  made  us  a  second  Visit  when  it  was  impair' d)  had 
all  that  strong,  clear  Sweetness  of  Tone  so  lately 
admir'd  in  Senesino.  A  blind  Man  could  scarce  have 
distinguished  them ;  but  in  Volubility  of  Throat  the 
former  had  much  the  Superiority.  This  so  excellent 
Performer's  Agreement  was  Eight  Hundred  Guineas 
for  the  Year,  which  is  but  an  eighth  Part  more  than 
half  the  Sum  that  has  since  been  given  to  several  that 
could  never  totally  surpass  him  :  The  Consequence 
of  which  is,  that  the  Losses  by  Operas,  for  several 
Seasons,  to  the  End  of  the  Year  1 738,  have  been  so 
great,  that  those  Gentlemen  of  Quality  who  last 
undertook  the  Direction  of  them,  found  it  ridiculous 
any  longer  to  entertain  the  Publick  at  so  extravagant 

it.  Every  one  will  easily  imagine  I  mean  Signior  Nicolini,  who 
sets  off  the  Character  he  bears  in  an  Opera  by  his  Action,  as 
much  as  he  does  the  Words  of  it  by  his  Voice.  Every  Limb, 
and  every  Finger,  contributes  to  the  Part  he  acts,  insomuch  that 
a  deaf  Man  might  go  along  with  him  in  the  Sense  of  it.  There 
is  scarce  a  beautiful  Posture  in  an  old  Statue  which  he  does  not 
plant  himself  in,  as  the  different  Circumstances  of  the  Story  give 
Occasion  for  it.  He  performs  the  most  ordinary  Action  in  a 
Manner  suitable  to  the  Greatness  of  his  Character,  and  shows  the 
Prince  even  in  the  giving  of  a  Letter,  or  the  dispatching  of  a 
Message.  Our  best  Actors  are  somewhat  at  a  Loss  to  support 
themselves  with  proper  Gesture,  as  they  move  from  any  consider 
able  Distance  to  the  Front  of  the  Stage ;  but  I  have  seen  the 
Person  of  whom  I  am  now  speaking,  enter  alone  at  the  remotest 
Part  of  it,  and  advance  from  it  with  such  Greatness  of  Air  and 
Mien,  as  seemed  to  fill  the  Stage,  and  at  the  same  Time  com 
manded  the  Attention  of  the  Audience  with  the  Majesty  of  his 
Appearance." — "Tatler,"  No.  115,  January  3rd,  1710. 


54  THE    LIFE    OF 

an  Expence,  while  no  one  particular  Person  thought 
himself  oblig'd  by  it. 

Mrs.  Tofts?  who  took  her  first  Grounds  of  Musick 
here  in  her  own  Country,  before  the  Italian  Taste 
had  so  highly  prevail'd,  was  then  not  an  Adept  in 
it : 2  Yet  whatever  Defect  the  fashionably  Skilful 
might  find  in  her  manner,  she  had,  in  the  general 
Sense  of  her  Spectators,  Charms  that  few  of  the 
most  learned  Singers  ever  arrive  at.  The  Beauty 
of  her  fine  proportion'd  Figure,  and  exquisitely 
sweet,  silver  Tone  of  her  Voice,  with  that  peculiar, 
rapid  Swiftness  of  her  Throat,  were  Perfections  not 

1  An  excellent  account  of  Mrs.  Tofts  is  given  by  Mr.  Henry 
Morley  in   a  note  on  page  38  of  his  valuable  edition  of   the 
"  Spectator."     She  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  Bishop  Burnet's 
household,    and    had    great    natural    gifts.      In    1709   she   was 
obliged  to  quit  the  stage,  her  mental  faculties  having  failed  ;  but 
she   afterwards    recovered,    and   married   Mr.   Joseph   Smith,   a 
noted  art  patron,  who  was  appointed  English  Consul  at  Venice. 
Her  intellect  again  became  disordered,  and  she  died  about  the 
year  1760. 

2  Gibber's  most  notorious  blunder  in  language  was  made  in  this 
sentence.     In  his  first  edition  he  wrote  "  was  then  but  an  Adept 
in  it,"  completely  reversing  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  Adept." 
Fielding  ("  Champion,"  2 2nd  April,  1740)  declares  Gibber  to  be  a 
most  absolute  Master  of  English,  "  for  surely  he  must  be  absolute 
Master  of  that  whose  Laws  he  can  trample  under  Feet,  and  which 
he  can  use  as  he  pleases.   This  Power  he  hath  exerted,  of  which  I 
shall  give  a  barbarous  Instance  in  the  Case  of  the  poor  Word 
Adept.  .  .  .  This  Word  our  great  Master  hath  tortured  and  wrested 
to  signify  a  Tyro  or  Novice,  being  directly  contrary  to  the  Sense  in 
which  it  hath  been  hitherto  used."     It  is  of  course  conceivable 
that  the  error  was  a  printer's  error  not  corrected  in  reading  the 
proof. 


OWE.  N        SWINEY 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  55 

to  be  imitated  by  Art  or  Labour.  Valentini  I  have 
already  mentioned,  therefore  need  only  say  farther  of 
him,  that  though  he  was  every  way  inferior  to  Nico- 
lini,1  yet,  as  he  had  the  Advantage  of  giving  us  our 
first  Impression  of  a  good  Opera  Singer,  he  had  still 
his  Admirers,  and  was  of  great  Service  in  being  so 
skilful  a  Second  to  his  Superior. 

Three  such  excellent  Performers  in  the  same  kind 
of  Entertainment  at  once,  England  till  this  Time  had 
never  seen  :  Without  any  farther  Comparison,  then, 
with  the  much  dearer  bought  who  have  succeeded 
them,  their  Novelty  at  least  was  a  Charm  that  drew 
vast  Audiences  of  the  fine  World  after  them.  Swiney, 
their  sole  Director,  was  prosperous,  and  in  one  Winter 
a  Gainer  by  them  of  a  moderate  younger  Brother's 
Fortune.  But  as  Musick,  by  so  profuse  a  Dispensation 
of  her  Beauties,  could  not  always  supply  our  dainty 
Appetites  with  equal  Variety,  nor  for  ever  please 
us  with  the  same  Objects,  the  Opera,  after  one  luxu 
rious  Season,  like  the  fine  Wife  of  a  roving  Husband, 
began  to  loose  its  Charms,  and  every  Day  discover'd 
to  our  Satiety  Imperfections  which  our  former  Fond 
ness  had  been  blind  to  :  But  of  this  I  shall  observe 

1  Nicolini  was  the  stage  name  of  the  Cavalier  Nicolo  Grimaldi. 
Dr.  Burney  says :  "  This  great  singer,  and  still  greater  actor,  was 
a  Neapolitan ;  his  voice  was  at  first  a  soprano,  but  afterwards 
descended  into  a  fine  contralto?  He  first  appeared,  about  1694, 
in  Rome,  and  paid  his  first  visit  to  England  in  1708.  Valentini 
Urbani  was  a  castrato^  his  voice  was  not  so  strong  as  Nicolini's, 
but  his  action  was  so  excellent  that  his  vocal  defects  were  not 
noticed. — "General  History  of  Music,"  1789,  iv.  207,  205. 

II.  E 


56  THE    LIFE    OF 

more  in  its  Place  :  in  the  mean  time,  let  us  enquire 
into  the  Productions  of  our  native  Theatre. 

It  may  easily  be  conceiv'd,  that  by  this  entire  Re 
union  of  the  two  Companies  Plays  must  generally 
have  been  perform' d  to  a  more  than  usual  Advantage 
and  Exactness  :  For  now  every  chief  Actor,  accord 
ing  to  his  particular  Capacity,  piqued  himself  upon 
rectifying  those  Errors  which  during  their  divided 
State  were  almost  unavoidable.  Such  a  Choice  of 
Actors  added  a  Richness  to  every  good  Play  as  it 
was  then  serv'd  up  to  the  publick  Entertainment : 
The  common  People  crowded  to  them  with  a  more 
joyous  Expectation,  and  those  of  the  higher  Taste 
return'd  to  them  as  to  old  Acquaintances,  with  new 
Desires  after  a  long  Absence.  In  a  Word,  all  Parties 
seem'd  better  pleas'd  but  he  who  one  might  imagine 
had  most  Reason  to  be  so,  the  (lately)  sole  menaging 
Patentee.  He,  indeed,  saw  his  Power  daily  mould'ring 
from  his  own  Hands  into  those  of  Mr.  Brett ^  whose 

1  Colonel  Brett,  by  an  indenture  dated  3ist  March,  1708,  made 
Wilks,  Estcourt,  and  Gibber,  his  deputies  in  the  management  of 
the  theatre.  Genest  (ii.  405)  says  this  was  probably  "  3ist  March, 
1708,  Old  Style,"  by  which  I  suppose  he  means  March,  1709. 
But  I  cannot  see  why  he  should  think  this.  Brett  entered  into 
management  in  January,  1708,  and  was  probably  out  of  it  by 
March,  1 709.  It  may  be  that  Genest  supposes  that  this  indenture 
marks  the  end  of  Brett's  connection  with  the  theatre ;  whereas  it 
was  probably  one  of  his  first  actions.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
.he  stated  his  intention  of  benefitting  Gibber  by  taking  the  Patent 
(see  ante,  p.  42).  A  copy  of  the  indenture  is  given  by  Mr. 
Percy  Fitzgerald  ("New  History,"  ii.  443).  It  is  dated  3istMarch 
in  the  seventh  year  of  Queen  Anne's  reign,  that  is,  1708. 


MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  57 

Gentlemanly  manner  of  making  every  one's  Business 
easy  to  him,  threw  their  old  Master  under  a  Disre 
gard  which  he  had  not  been  us'd  to,  nor  could  with 
all  his  happy  Change  of  Affairs  support.  Although 
this  grave  Theatrical  Minister  of  whom  I  have  been 
oblig'd  to  make  such  frequent  mention,  had  acquired 
the  Reputation  of  a  most  profound  Politician  by  being 
often  incomprehensible,  yet  I  am  not  sure  that  his 
Conduct  at  this  Juncture  gave  us  not  an  evident 
Proof  that  he  was,  like  other  frail  Mortals,  more  a 
Slave  to  his  Passions  than  his  Interest;  for  no  Crea 
ture  ever  seem'd  more  fond  of  Power  that  so  little 
knew  how  to  use  it  to  his  Profit  and  Reputation  ; 
otherwise  he  could  not  possibly  have  been  so  discon 
tented,  in  his  secure  and  prosperous  State  of  the 
Theatre,  as  to  resolve  at  all  Hazards  to  destroy  it. 
We  shall  now  see  what  infallible  Measures  he  took 
to  bring  this  laudable  Scheme  to  Perfection. 

He  plainly  saw  that,  as  this  disagreeable  Pros 
perity  was  chiefly  owing  to  the  Conduct  of  Mr. 
Brett,  there  could  be  no  hope  of  recovering  the  Stage 
to  its  former  Confusion  but  by  finding  some  effectual 
Means  to  make  Mr.  Brett  weary  of  his  Charge  :  The 
most  probable  he  could  for  the  Present  think  of,  in 
this  Distress,  was  to  call  in  the  Adventurers  (whom 
for  many  Years,  by  his  Defence  in  Law,  he  had  kept 
out)  now  to  take  care  of  their  visibly  improving 
Interests.1  This  fair  Appearance  of  Equity  being 

1  On  p.  328  of  vol.  i.,  Gibber  says  that  Rich  (about  1705)  had 
led  the  Adventurers  "a  Chace  in  Chancery  several  years."  From 


58  THE    LIFE  OF 

known  to  be  his  own  Proposal,  he  rightly  guess'd 
would  incline  these  Adventurers  to  form  a  Majority 
of  Votes  on  his  Side  in  all  Theatrical  Questions,  and 
consequently  become  a  Check  upon  the  Power  of 
Mr.  Brett,  who  had  so  visibly  alienated  the  Hearts 
of  his  Theatrical  Subjects,  and  now  began  to  govern 
without  him.  When  the  Adventurers,  therefore,  were 
re-admitted  to  their  old  Government,  after  having 
recommended  himself  to  them  by  proposing  to  make 
some  small  Dividend  of  the  Profits  (though  he  did 
not  design  that  Jest  should  be  repeated)  he  took 
care  that  the  Creditors  of  the  Patent,  who  were  then 
no  inconsiderable  Body,  should  carry  off  the  every 
Weeks  clear  Profits  in  proportion  to  their  several 
Dues  and  Demands.  This  Conduct,  so  speciously 
just,  he  had  Hopes  would  let  Mr.  Brett  see  that  his 
Share  in  the  Patent  was  not  so  valuable  an  Acquisi 
tion  as  perhaps  he  might  think  it ;  and  probably 
make  a  Man  of  his  Turn  to  Pleasure  soon  weary  of 
the  little  Profit  and  great  Plague  it  gave  him.  Now, 
though  these  might  be  all  notable  Expedients,  yet  I 

the  petition  presented  in  1709  against  the  order  silencing  Rich,  we 
learn  that  the  principal  Adventurers  were :  Lord  Guilford,  Lord 
John  Harvey,  Dame  Alice  Brownlow,  Mrs.  Shadwell,  Sir  Edward 
Smith,  Bart.,  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith,  Bart.,  George  Sayer,  Charles 
Killegrew,  Christopher  Rich,  Charles  Davenant,  John  Metcalf, 
Thomas  Goodall,  Ashburnham  Toll,  Ashburnham  Frowd,  William 
East,  Richard  Middlemore,  Robert  Gower,  and  William  Collier. 
It  is  curious  that  everyone  who  has  reproduced  this  list  has,  as  far 
as  I  know,  mistaken  the  name  "Frowd,"  calling  it  "Trowd."  The 
earliest  reproduction  of  the  list  of  names  which  I  know  is  in  the 
"Dramatic  Censor,"  1811,  col.  in. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  59 

cannot  say  they  would  have  wholly  contributed  to 
Mr.  Brett's  quitting  his  Post,  had  not  a  Matter  of 
much  stronger  Moment,  an  unexpected  Dispute  be 
tween  him  and  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith,  prevailed  with 
him  to  lay  it  down :  For  in  the  midst  of  this  flourish 
ing  State  of  the  Patent,  Mr.  Brett  was  surpriz'd  with  a 
Subpoena  into  Chancery  from  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith, 
who  alledg'd  in  his  Bill  that  the  Conveyance  he  had 
made  of  his  Interest  in  the  Patent  to  Mr.  Brett  was 
only  intended  in  Trust.  (Whatever  the  Intent  might 
be,  the  Deed  it  self,  which  I  then  read,  made  no 
mention  of  any  Trust  whatever.)  But  whether  Mr. 
Brett,  as  Sir  Thomas  farther  asserted,  had  previously, 
or  after  the  Deed  was  sign'd,  given  his  Word  of 
Honour  that  if  he  should  ever  make  the  Stage  turn 
to  any  Account  or  Profit,  he  would  certainly  restore 
it  :  That,  indeed,  I  can  say  nothing  to  ;  but  be  the 
Deed  valid  or  void,  the  Facts  that  apparently  fol- 
low'd  were,  that  tho'  Mr.  Brett  in  his  Answer  to 
this  Bill  absolutely  deny'd  his  receiving  this  Assign 
ment  either  in  Trust  or  upon  any  limited  Condition 
of  what  kind  soever,  yet  he  made  no  farther  Defence 
in  the  Cause.  But  since  he  found  Sir  Thomas  had 
thought  fit  on  any  Account  to  sue  for  the  Restitution 
of  it,  and  Mr.  Brett  being  himself  conscious  that,  as 
the  World  knew  he  had  paid  no  Consideration  for 
it,  his  keeping  it  might  be  misconstrued,  or  not 
favourably  spoken  of ;  or  perhaps  finding,  tho'  the 
Profits  were  great,  they  were  constantly  swallowed 
up  (as  has  been  observ'd)  by  the  previous  Satisfac- 


60  THE    LIFE    OF 

tion  of  old  Debts,  he  grew  so  tir'd  of  the  Plague  and 
Trouble  the  whole  Affair  had  given  him,  and  was 
likely  still  to  engage  him  in,  that  in  a  few  Weeks 
after  he  withdrew  himself  from  all  Concern  with  the 
Theatre,  and  quietly  left  Sir  Thomas  to  find  his 
better  Account  in  it.  And  thus  stood  this  undecided 
Right  till,  upon  the  Demise  of  Sir  Thomas,  Mr. 
Brett  being  allow'd  the  Charges  he  had  been  at  in 
this  Attendance  and  Prosecution  of  the  Union,  re- 
con  vey'd  this  Share  of  the  Patent  to  Sir  George 
Skipwith,  the  Son  and  Heir  of  Sir  Thomas^ 

Our  Politician,  the  old  Patentee,  having  thus  fortu 
nately  got  rid  of  Mr.  Brett,  who  had  so  rashly  brought 
the  Patent  once  more  to  be  a  profitable  Tenure,  was 
now  again  at  Liberty  to  chuse  rather  to  lose  all  than 
not  to  have  it  all  to  himself. 

I  have  elsewhere  observed  that  nothing  can  so 
effectually  secure  the  Strength,  or  contribute  to  the 
Prosperity  of  a  good  Company,  as  the  Directors  of 
it  having  always,  as  near  as  possible,  an  amicable 
Understanding  with  three  or  four  of  their  best  Actors, 
whose  good  or  ill-will  must  naturally  make  a  wide 
Difference  in  their  profitable  or  useless  manner  of 
serving  them  :  While  the  Principal  are  kept  reason 
ably  easy  the  lower  Class  can  never  be  troublesome 
without  hurting  themselves  :  But  when  a  valuable 
Actor  is  hardly  treated,  the  Master  must  be  a  very 

1  I  do  not  know  when  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith  died;  but  in  1709 
the  petition  of  the  Adventurers,  &c.,  is  signed  by,  among  others, 
Sir  Thomas  Skipwith. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  6 1 

cunning  Man  that  finds  his  Account  in  it.  We  shall 
now  see  how  far  Experience  will  verify  this  Obser 
vation. 

The  Patentees  thinking  themselves  secure  in  being 
restor'd  to  their  former  absolute  Power  over  this  now 
only  Company,  chose  rather  to  govern  it  by  the 
Reverse  of  the  Method  I  have  recommended  :  For 
tho'  the  daily  Charge  of  their  united  Company 
amounted  not,  by  a  good  deal,  to  what  either  of  the 
two  Companies  now  in  Drury-Lane  or  Covent- 
Garden  singly  arises,  they  notwithstanding  fell  into 
their  former  Politicks  of  thinking  every  Shilling 
taken  from  a  hired  Actor  so  much  clear  Gain  to  the 
Proprietor:  Many  of  their  People,  therefore,  were 
actually,  if  not  injudiciously,  reduced  in  their  Pay, 
and  others  given  to  understand  the  same  Fate  was 
design'd  them;  of  which  last  Number  I  my  self 
was  one;  which  occurs  to  my  Memory  by  the 
Answer  I  made  to  one  of  the  Adventurers,  who,  in 
Justification  of  their  intended  Proceeding,1  told  me 
that  my  Sallary,  tho'  it  should  be  less  than  it  was  by 
ten  Shillings  a  Week,  would  still  be  more  than  ever 
Goodman  had,  who  was  a  better  Actor  than  I  could 
pretend  to  be :  To  which  I  reply' d,  This  may  be 
true,  but  then  you  know,  Sir,  it  is  as  true  that 
Goodman  was  forced  to  go  upon  the  High- way  for 

1  This  anecdote  shows  that  Rich  had  some  sort  of  Committee 
of  Shareholders  to  aid  (or  hinder)  him.  Subsequent  experience 
has  shown,  as  witness  the  Drury  Lane  Committee  at  the  beginning 
of  this  century,  how  disastrous  such  form  of  management  is. 


62  THE    LIFE    OF 

a  Livelihood.  As  this  was  a  known  Fact  of  Good 
man,  my  mentioning  it  on  that  Occasion  I  believe 
was  of  Service  to  me ;  at  least  my  Sallary  was  not 
reduced  after  it.  To  say  a  Word  or  two  more  of 
Goodman,  so  celebrated  an  Actor  in  his  Time,  per 
haps  may  set  the  Conduct  of  the  Patentees  in  a 
clearer  Light.  Tho'  Goodman  had  left  the  Stage 
before  I  came  to  it,  I  had  some  slight  Acquaintance 
with  him.  About  the  Time  of  his  being  expected 
to  be  an  Evidence  against  Sir  John  Fenwick  in  the 
Assassination- Plot,1  in  1696,  I  happened  to  meet  him 
at  Dinner  at  Sir  Thomas  SkipwitJis,  who,  as  he  was 
an  agreeable  Companion  himself,  liked  Goodman  for 
the  same  Quality.  Here  it  was  that  Goodman,  with- 

1  Dr.  Doran  ("  Their  Majesties'  Servants,"  1888  edition,  i.  103) 
gives  the  following  account  of  Goodman's  connection  with  this 
plot  :— 

"King  James  having  saved  Cardell's  neck,  Goodman,  out  of 
pure  gratitude,  perhaps,  became  a  Tory,  and  something  more, 
when  William  sat  in  the  seat  of  his  father-in-law.  After  Queen 
Mary's  death,  Scum  was  in  the  Fenwick  and  Charnock  plot  to 
kill  the  King.  When  the  plot  was  discovered,  Scum  was  ready  to 
peach.  As  Fenwick's  life  was  thought  by  his  friends  to  be  safe  if 
Goodman  could  be  bought  off  and  got  out  of  the  way,  the  rogue 
was  looked  for,  at  the  Fleece,  in  Covent  Garden,  famous  for  homi 
cides,  and  at  the  robbers'  and  the  revellers'  den,  the  Dog,  in  Drury 
Lane.  Fenwick's  agent,  O'Bryan,  erst  soldier  and  highwayman, 
now  a  Jacobite  agent,  found  Scum  at  the  Dog,  and  would  then 
and  there  have  cut  his  throat,  had  not  Scum  consented  to  the 
pleasant  alternative  of  accepting  ^500  a  year,  and  a  residence 
abroad Scum  suddenly  disappeared,  and  Lord  Man 
chester,  our  Ambassador  in  Paris,  inquired  after  him  in  vain.  It 
is  impossible  to  say  whether  the  rogue  died  by  an  avenging  hand, 
or  starvation." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  63 

out  Disguise  or  sparing  himself,  fell  into  a  laughing 
Account  of  several  loose  Passages  of  his  younger 
Life;  as  his  being  expell'd  the  University  of  Cam 
bridge  for  being  one  of  the  hot-headed  Sparks  who 
were  concern'd  in  the  cutting  and  defacing  the  Duke 
of  Monmouttis  Picture,  then  Chancellor  of  that 
Place.  But  this  Disgrace,  it  seems,  had  not  dis 
qualified  him  for  the  Stage,  which,  like  the  Sea- 
Service,  refuses  no  Man  for  his  Morals  that  is  able- 
bodied :  There,  as  an  Actor,  he  soon  grew  into  a 
different  Reputation  ;  but  whatever  his  Merit  might 
be,  the  Pay  of  a  hired  Hero  in  those  Days  was  so 
very  low  that  he  was  forced,  it  seems,  to  take  the  Air 
(as  he  call'd  it)  and  borrow  what  Money  the  first 
Man  he  met  had  about  him.  But  this  being  his  first 
Exploit  of  that  kind  which  the  Scantiness  of  his 
Theatrical  Fortune  had  reduced  him  to,  Kingy^^^ 
was  prevail'd  upon  to  pardon  him  :  Which  Goodman 
said  was  doing  him  so  particular  an  Honour  that  no 
Man  could  wonder  if  his  Acknowledgment  had  carried 
him  a  little  farther  than  ordinary  into  the  Interest  of 
that  Prince  :  But  as  he  had  lately  been  out  of  Luck 
in  backing  his  old  Master,  he  had  now  no  way  to 
get  home  the  Life  he  was  out  upon  his  Account  but 
by  being  under  the  same  Obligations  to  King 
William. 

Another  Anecdote  of  him,  though  not  quite  so 
dishonourably  enterprizing,  which  I  had  from  his 
own  Mouth  at  a  different  Time,  will  equally  shew  to 
what  low  Shifts  in  Life  the  poor  Provision  for  good 


64  THE    LIFE    OF 

Actors,  under  the  early  Government  of  the  Patent, 
reduced  them.  In  the  younger  Days  of  their 
Heroism,  Captain  Griffin  and  Goodman  were  con 
fined  by  their  moderate  Sallaries  to  the  Oeconomy 
of  lying  together  in  the  same  Bed  and  having  but 
one  whole  Shirt  between  them :  One  of  them  being 
under  the  Obligation  of  a  Rendezvous  with  a  fair 
Lady,  insisted  upon  his  wearing  it  out  of  his  Turn, 
.which  occasioned. so  high  a  Dispute  that  the  Combat 
!was  immediately  demanded,  and  accordingly  their 
Pretensions  to  it  were  decided  by  a  fair  Tilt  upon 
the  Spot,  in  the  Room  where  they  lay  :  But  whether 
Clytus  or  Alexander was  obliged  to  see  no  Company 
till  a  worse  could  be  wash'd  for  him,  seems  not  to 
be  a  material  Point  in  their  History,  or  to  my 
Purpose.1 

By  this  Rate  of  Goodman,  who,  'till  the  Time  of 
his  quitting  the  Stage  never  had  more  than  what  is 
call'd  forty  Shillings  a  Week,  it  may  be  judg'd  how 
cheap  the  Labour  of  Actors  had  been  formerly  ;  and 
the  Patentees  thought  it  a  Folly  to  continue  the 
higher  Price,  (which  their  Divisions  had  since  raised 
them  to)  now  there  was  but  one  Market  for  them  ; 
but  alas !  they  had  forgot  their  former  fatal  Mistake 
of  squabbling  with  their  Actors  in  1695;*  nor  did 

1  This  anecdote  is  valuable  as  establishing  the  identity  of 
Captain  Griffin  with  the  Griffin  who  retired  (temporarily)  from  the 
stage  about  1688.  See  note  on  page  83  of  voL  i.  • 

3  When  Betterton  and  his  associates  left  the  Theatre  Royal  and 
opened  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  Theatre.  See  Chapter  VI. 


MR.   COLLEY   CIBBER.  65 

they  make  any  Allowance  for  the  Changes  and  Ope 
rations  of  Time,  or  enough  consider  the  Interest  the 
Actors  had  in  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  on  whose  Pro 
tection  they  might  always  rely,  and  whose  Decrees 
had  been  less  restrain'd  by  Precedent  than  those  of  a 
Lord  Chancellor. 

In  this  mistaken  View  of  their  Interest,  the  Paten 
tees,  by  treating  their  Actors  as  Enemies,  really 
made  them  so  :  And  when  once  the  Masters  of  a 
hired  Company  think  not  their  Actors  Hearts  as 
necessary  as  their  Hands,  they  cannot  be  said  to  have 
agreed  for  above  half  the  Work  they  are  able  to  do 
in  a  Day  :  Or,  if  an  unexpected  Success  should,  not 
withstanding,  make  the  Profits  in  any  gross  Dispro 
portion  greater  than  the  Wages,  the  Wages  will 
always  have  something  worse  than  a  Murmur  at  the 
Head  of  them,  that  will  not  only  measure  the  Merit 
of  the  Actor  by  the  Gains  of  the  Proprietor,  but  will 
never  naturally  be  quiet  till  every  Scheme  of  getting 
into  Property  has  been  tried  to  make  the  Servant  his 
own  Master  :  And  this,  as  far  as  Experience  can 
make  me  judge,  will  always  be  in  either  of  these 
Cases  the  State  of  our  English  Theatre.  What 
Truth  there  may  be  in  this  Observation  we  are  now 
coming  to  a  Proof  of. 

To  enumerate  all  the  particular  Acts  of  Power  in 
which  the  Patentees  daily  bore  hard  upon  this  now 
only  Company  of  Actors,  might  be  as  tedious  as  un 
necessary  ;  I  shall  therefore  come  at  once  to  their 
most  material  Grievance,  upon  which  they  grounded 


66  THE    LIFE    OF 

their  Complaint  to  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  who,  in 
the  Year  following,  1709,  took  effectual  Measures 
for  their  Relief. 

The  Patentees  observing  that  the  Benefit-Plays  of 
the  Actors  towards  the  latter  End  of  the  Season 
brought  the  most  crowded  Audiences  in  the  Year, 
began  to  think  their  own  Interests  too  much  neglected 
by  these  partial  Favours  of  the  Town  to  their 
Actors ;  and  therefore  judg'd  it  would  not  be  im- 
politick  in  such  wholesome  annual  Profits  to  have 
a  Fellow-feeling  with  them.  Accordingly  an  Indulto^ 
was  laid  of  one  Third  out  of  the  Profits  of  every 
Benefit  for  the  proper  Use  and  Behoof  of  the 
Patent.2  But  that  a  clear  Judgment  may  be  form'd 
of  the  Equity  or  Hardship  of  this  Imposition,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  shew  from  whence  and  from  what 
Causes  the  Actors  Claim  to  Benefits  originally  pro 
ceeded. 

1  Indulto — In  Spain,  a  duty,  tax,  or  custom,  paid  to  the  King 
for  all  goods  imported. 

2  In  the  "  Answer  to  Steele's  State  of  the  Case,"  1720  (Nichols's 
ed.  p.  527),  it  is  said:  "After  Mr.  Rich  was  again  restored  to 
the  management  of  the  Play-house,  he  made  an  order  to  stop  a 
certain  proportion  of  the  clear  profits  of  every  Benefit-play  with 
out  exception ;  which  being  done,  and  reaching  the  chief  Players 
as  well  as  the  underlings,  zealous  application  was  made  to  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  to  oblige  Mr.  Rich  to  return  the  money  stopped 
to  each  particular.     The  dispute  lasted  some  time,  and  Mr.  Rich, 
not  giving  full  satisfaction  upon  that  head,  was  silenced ;  during 
the   time  of  which  silence,  the  chief  Players,  either  by  a  new 
License,  or  by  some  former  (which  I  cannot  absolutely  determine, 
my  Memoirs  being  not  at  this  time  by  me)  set  up  for  themselves, 
and  got  into  the  possession  of  the  Play-house  in  Drury-lane." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  67 

During  the  Reign  of  King  Charles  an  Actor's 
Benefit  had  never  been  heard  of.  The  first  Indul 
gence  of  this  kind  was  given  to  Mrs.  Barry  (as  has 
been  formerly  observed1)  in  King  y^^y's  Time,  in 
Consideration  of  the  extraordinary  Applause  that  had 
followed  her  Performance :  But  there  this  Favour 
rested  to  her  alone,  'till  after  the  Division  of  the  only 
Company  in  1695,  at  which  time  the  Patentees  were 
soon  reduced  to  pay  their  Actors  half  in  good 
Words  and  half  in  ready  Money.  In  this  precarious 
Condition  some  particular  Actors  (however  binding 
their  Agreements  might  be)  were  too  poor  or  too 
wise  to  go  to  Law  with  a  Lawyer,  and  therefore 
rather  chose  to  compound  their  Arrears  for  their 
being  admitted  to  the  Chance  of  having  them  made 
up  by  the  Profits  of  a  Benefit- Play.  This  Expedient 
had  this  Consequence ;  that  the  Patentees,  tho'  their 
daily  Audiences  might,  and  did  sometimes  mend,  still 
kept  the  short  Subsistance  of  their  Actors  at  a  stand, 
and  grew  more  steady  in  their  Resolution  so  to  keep 
them,  as  they  found  them  less  apt  to  mutiny  while 
their  Hopes  of  being  clear'd  off  by  a  Benefit  were 
depending.  In  a  Year  or  two  these  Benefits  grew 
so  advantageous  that  they  became  at  last  the  chief 
Article  in  every  Actor's  Agreement. 

Now   though    the   Agreements    of  these   united 

Actors  I  am  speaking  of  in  1 708  were  as  yet  only 

Verbal,  yet  that  made  no  difference  in  the  honest 

Obligation  to  keep  them :    But  as  Honour  at  that 

1  See  ante,  vol.  i.,  p.  161. 


68  THE    LIFE    OF 

time  happen'd  to  have  but  a  loose  hold  of  their 
Consciences,  the  Patentees  rather  chose  to  give  it 
the  slip,  and  went  on  with  their  Work  without  it. 
No  Actor,  therefore,  could  have  his  Benefit  fix'd  'till 
he  had  first  sign'd  a  Paper  signifying  his  voluntary 
Acceptance  of  it  upon  the  above  Conditions,  any 
Claims  from  Custom  to  the  contrary  notwithstand 
ing.  Several  at  first  refus'd  to  sign  this  Paper ;  upon 
which  the  next  in  Rank  were  offer'd  on  the  same 
Conditions  to  come  before  the  Refusers  ;  this  smart 
Expedient  got  some  few  of  the  Fearful  the  Prefe 
rence  to  their  Seniors  ;  who,  at  last,  seeing  the  Time 
was  too  short  for  a  present  Remedy,  and  that  they 
must  either  come  into  the  Boat  or  lose  their  Tide, 
were  forc'd  to  comply  with  what  they  as  yet  silently 
resented  as  the  severest  Injury.  In  this  Situation, 
therefore,  they  chose  to  let  the  principal  Benefits  be 
over,  that  their  Grievances  might  swell  into  some 
bulk  before  they  made  any  Application  for  Redress 
to  the  Lord-Chamberlain ;  who,  upon  hearing  their 
general  Complaint,  order'd  the  Patentees  to  shew 
cause  why  their  Benefits  had  been  diminished  one 
Third,  contrary  to  the  common  Usage  ?  The  Paten 
tees  pleaded  the  sign'd  Agreement,  and  the  Actors 
Receipts  of  the  other  two  Thirds,  in  Full  Satisfac 
tion.  But  these  were  prov'd  to  have  been  exacted 
from  them  by  the  Methods  already  mentioned.  They 
notwithstanding  insist  upon  them  as  lawful.  But  as 
Law  and  Equity  do  not  always  agree,  they  were 
look'd  upon  as  unjust  and  arbitrary.  Whereupon 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  69 

the  Patentees  were  warn'd  at  their  Peril  to  refuse 
the  Actors  full  Satisfaction.1  But  here  it  was  thought 
necessary  that  Judgment  should  be  for  some  time 
respited,  'till  the  Actors,  who  had  leave  so  to  do, 
could  form  a  Body  strong  enough  to  make  the  Incli 
nation  of  the  Lord-Chamberlain  to  relieve  them 
practicable. 

Accordingly  Swiney  (who  was  then  sole  Director 
of  the  Opera  only)  had  Permission  to  enter  into  a 
private  Treaty  with  such  of  the  united  Actors  in 
Drury-Lane  as  might  be  thought  fit  to  head  a  Com 
pany  under  their  own  Menagement,  and  to  be 
Sharers  with  him  in  the  Hay-Market.  The  Actors 
chosen  for  this  Charge  were  Wilks,  Dogget,  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  and  Myself.  But  before  I  proceed,  lest  it 
should  seem  surprizing  that  neither  Betterton,  Mrs. 
Barry,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  or  Booth  were  Parties  in 
this  Treaty,  it  must  be  observ'd  that  Betterton  was 
now  Seventy-three,  and  rather  chose,  with  the  Infir 
mities  of  Age  upon  him,  to  rely  on  such  Sallary  as 
might  be  appointed  him,  than  to  involve  himself  in 
the  Cares  and  Hurry  that  must  unavoidably  attend 
the  Regulation  of  a  new  Company.  As  to  the  two 
celebrated  Actresses  I  have  named,  this  has  been 
my  first  proper  Occasion  of  making  it  known  that 
they  had  both  quitted  the  Stage  the  Year  before  this 

1  This  warning  is  dated  3oth  April,  1709,  and  is  a  very  peremp 
tory  document.  Rich's  treasurer  is  ordered  to  pay  the  actors  the 
full  receipts  of  their  benefits,  under  deduction  only  of  ^40  for  the 
charges  of  the  house.  See  the  Order  for  Silence  quoted  post, 
page  73. 


7<D  THE   LIFE   OF 

Transaction  was  thought  of.1  And  Booth  as  yet  was 
scarce  out  of  his  Minority  as  an  Actor,  or  only  in 
the  Promise  of  that  Reputation  which,  in  about  four 
or  five  Years  after,  he  happily  arriv'd  at.  However, 
at  this  Juncture  he  was  not  so  far  overlooked  as  not 
to  be  offer'd  a  valuable  Addition  to  his  Sallary  :  But 
this  he  declin'd,  being,  while  the  Patentees  were 
under  this  Distress,  as  much,  if  not  more,  in  favour 
with  their  chief  Menager  as  a  Schematist  than  as  an 
Actor  :  And  indeed  he  appear'd,  to  my  Judgment, 
more  inclin'd  to  risque  his  Fortune  in  Drury-Lane^ 
where  he  should  have  no  Rival  in  Parts  or  Power, 
than  on  any  Terms  to  embark  in  the  Hay-Market, 
where  he  was  sure  to  meet  with  Opponents  in  both.2 
However,  this  his  Separation  from  our  Interest  when 
our  All  was  at  stake,  afterwards  kept  his  Advance 
ment  to  a  Share  with  us  in  our  more  successful  Days 
longer  postpon'd  than  otherwise  it  probably  might 
have  been. 

When  Mrs.  Oldfield  was  nominated  as  a  joint 
Sharer  in  our  new  Agreement  to  be  made  with  Swiney, 
Dogget,  who  had  no  Objection  to  her  Merit,  insisted 
that  our  Affairs  could  never  be  upon  a  secure  Founda 
tion  if  there  was  more  than  one  Sex  admitted  to 

1  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  retired  in  February,    1707.      Mrs.    Barry 
played  up  to  the  end  of  the  season,  1708,  that  is,  up  to  June, 
1708.     She  does  not  seem  to  have  been  engaged  in  1708-9,  but 
she  was  a  member  of  the  Haymarket  Company  in  1709-10. 

2  From  Chapter  XVI.  it  will  be  seen  that  Wilks's  unfair  partiality 
for  John  Mills,  whom  he  forced  into  prominence  at  Booth's  ex 
pense,  was  the  leading  reason  for  Booth's  remaining  with  Rich. 


ANNE       OLDFIE  LD. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  7  I 

the  Menagement  of  them.  He  therefore  hop'd  that 
if  we  offer  d  Mrs.  Oldfield  a  Carte  Blanche  instead  of 
a  Share,  she  would  not  think  herself  slighted.  This 
was  instantly  agreed  to,  and  Mrs.  Oldfield  receiv'd  it 
rather  as  a  Favour  than  a  Disobligation  :  Her  De 
mands  therefore  were  Two  Hundred  Pounds  a  Year 
certain,  and  a  Benefit  clear  of  all  Charges,  which  were 
readily  sign'd  to.  Her  Easiness  on  this  Occasion, 
some  Years  after,  when  our  Establishment  was  in 
Prosperity,  made  us  with  less  Reluctancy  advance  her 
Two  Hundred  Pounds  to  Three  Hundred  Guineas 
per  Annum,  with  her  usual  Benefit,  which,  upon  an 
Average,  for  several  Years  at  least  doubled  that  Sum. 
When  a  sufficient  number  of  Actors  were  engag'd 
under  our  Confederacy  with  Swiney,  it  was  then 
judg'd  a  proper  time  for  the  Lord-Chamberlain's 
Power  to  operate,  which,  by  lying  above  a  Month 
dormant,  had  so  far  recover'd  the  Patentees  from  any 
Apprehensions  of  what  might  fall  upon  them  from 
their  late  Usurpations  on  the  Benefits  of  the  Actors, 
that  they  began  to  set  their  Marks  upon  those  who 
had  distinguish^  themselves  in  the  Application  for 
Redress.  Several  little  Disgraces  were  put  upon 
them,  particularly  in  the  Disposal  of  Parts  in  Plays 
to  be  reviv'd,  and  as  visible  a  Partiality  was  shewn 
in  the  Promotion  of  those  in  their  Interest,  though 
their  Endeavours  to  serve  them  could  be  of  no  ex 
traordinary  use.  How  often  does  History  shew  us, 
in  the  same  State  of  Courts,  the  same  Politicks  have 
been  practis'd  ?  All  this  while  the  other  Party  were 

II.  F 


72  THE    LIFE    OF 

passively  silent,  'till  one  Day  the  Actor  who  particu 
larly  solicited  their  Cause  at  the  Lord-Chamberlain's 
Office,  being  shewn  there  the  Order  sign'd  for  abso 
lutely  silencing  the  Patentees,  and  ready  to  be  serv'd, 
flew  back  with  the  News  to  his  Companions,  then  at 
a  Rehearsal  in  which  he  had  been  wanted ;  when 
being  call'd  to  his  Part,  and  something  hastily  ques- 
tion'd  by  the  Patentee  for  his  Neglect  of  Business  : 
This  Actor,  I  say,  with  an  erected  Look  and  a 
Theatrical  Spirit,  at  once  threw  off  the  Mask  and 

roundly  told  him Sir,  I  have  now  no  more  Bitsi- 

ness  Here  than  you  have  ;  in  half  an  Hour  you  will 
neither  have  Actors  to  command  nor  Authority  to  em 
ploy  them. The  Patentee,  who  though  he  could 

not  readily  comprehend  his  mysterious  manner  of 
Speaking,  had  just  a  Glimpse  of  Terror  enough  from 
the  Words  to  soften  his  Reproof  into  a  cold  formal 
Declaration,  That  if  he  would  not  do  his  Work  he  should 
not  be  paid. — But  now,  to  complete  the  Catastrophe 
of  these  Theatrical  Commotions,  enters  the  Messen 
ger  with  the  Order. of  Silence  in  his  Hand,  whom 
the  same  Actor  officiously  introduc'd,  telling  the 
Patentee  that  the  Gentleman  wanted  to  speak  with 
him  from  the  Lord-Chamberlain.  When  the  Mes 
senger  had  delivered  the  Order,  the  Actor,  throwing 
his  Head  over  his  Shoulder  towards  the  Patentee, 
in  the  manner  of  Shakespeare  Harry  the  Eighth  to 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  cry'd — Read  o  er  that !  and  now — 
to  Breakfast,  with  what  Appetite  you  may.  Tho' 
these  Words  might  be  spoken  in  too  vindictive  and 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  73 

insulting  a  manner  to  be  commended,  yet,  from  the 
Fulness  of  a  Heart  injuriously  treated  and  now  re- 
liev'd  by  that  instant  Occasion,  why  might  they  not 
be  pardon'd  ? 1 

The  Authority  of  the  Patent  now  no  longer  sub 
sisting,  all  the  confederated  Actors  immediately 
walk'd  out  of  the  House,  to  which  they  never  returned 
'till  they  became  themselves  the  Tenants  and  Masters 
of  it. 

1  The  Order  for  Silence  has  never,  I  believe,  been  quoted.  I 
therefore  give  it  in  full.  The  theatre  closed  on  the  4th  of  June,  1 709, 
which  was  Saturday,  and  did  not  open  again  under  Rich's  manage 
ment,  the  Order  for  Silence  being  issued  on  the  next  Monday. 

"  Play  House  in  Covent  Garden  silent? d.  Whereas  by  an  Order 
dated  the  30th  day  of  Apr11  last  upon  the  peticon  of  sev11  Players 
&c :  I  did  then  direct  and  require  you  to  pay  to  the  respective 
Comedians  who  had  benfit  plays  last  winter  the  full  receip*8  of  such 
plays  deducting  only  from  each  the  sume  of  40!.  for  the  Charges 
of  the  House  pursuant  to  the  Articles  made  wth  ym  at  ye  theatre  in 
the  Haymarkett  and  wch  were  promisd  to  be  made  good  upon 
their  removall  to  the  Theatre  in  Covent  Garden. 

"  And  whereas  I  am  informd  y*  in  Contempt  of  the  said  Ordr  yu 
still  refuse  to  pay  and  detain  from  the  sd  Comedians  ye  profits  of 
ye  sd  benefit  plays  I  do  therefore  for  the  sd  Contempt  hereby  silence 
you  from  further  acting  &  require  you  not  to  perform  any  Plays 
or  other  Theatricall  entertainm*  till  further  Ordr ;  And  all  her 
Maju  Sworn  Comedians  are  hereby  forbid  to  act  any  Plays  at  ye 
Theatre  in  Covent  Gardn  or  else  where  wthout  my  leave  as  they 
shall  answer  the  contrary  at  their  perill  And  &c  :  Given  &c :  this 
6th  day  of  June  1709  in  the  Eighth  Year  of  her  Majesty's  Reign. 

(Signed)  KENT. 
"  To  the  Manager  or  Manag™  \ 

of  her  Maj*  Company  of  Cornedi™  ,- 

for  their  Patentees." 

I  have  copied  this  from  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records. 


74  THE    LIFE    OF 

Here  agen  we  see  an  higher  Instance  of  the  Au 
thority  of  a  Lord-Chamberlain  than  any  of  those  I 
have  elsewhere  mentioned :  From  whence  that  Power 
might  be  deriv'd,  as  I  have  already  said,  I  am  not 
Lawyer  enough  to  know  ;  however,  it  is  evident  that 
a  Lawyer  obey'd  it,  though  to  his  Cost ;  which  might 
incline  one  to  think  that  the  Law  was  not  clearly 
against  it :  Be  that  as  it  may,  since  the  Law  has 
lately  made  it  no  longer  a  Question,  let  us  drop  the 
Enquiry  and  proceed  to  the  Facts  which  follow' d 
this  Order  that  silenc'd  the  Patent. 

From  this  last  injudicious  Disagreement  of  the 
Patentees  with  their  principal  Actors,  and  from  what 
they  had  suffered  on  the  same  Occasion  in  the  Di 
vision  of  their  only  Company  in  1695,  might  we  not 
imagine  there  was  something  of  Infatuation  in  their 
Menagement  ?  For  though  I  allow  Actors  in  general, 
when  they  are  too  much  indulg'd,  or  governed  by  an 
unsteady  Head,  to  be  as  unruly  a  Multitude  as 
Power  can  be  plagued  with  ;  yet  there  is  a  Medium 
which,  if  cautiously  observed  by  a  candid  use  of 
Power,  making  them  always  know,  without  feeling, 
their  Superior,  neither  suffering  their  Encroachments 
nor  invading  their  Rights,  with  an  immoveable  Ad 
herence  to  the  accepted  Laws  they  are  to  walk  by  ; 
such  a  Regulation,  I  say,  has  never  fail'd,  in  my  Ob 
servation,  to  have  made  them  a  tractable  and  profit 
able  Society.  If  the  Government  of  a  well-establish'd 
Theatre  were  to  be  compar'd  to  that  of  a  Nation, 
there  is  no  one  Act  of  Policy  or  Misconduct  in  the 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  75 

one  or  the  other  in  which  the  Menager  might  not, 
in  some  parallel  Case,  (laugh,  if  you  please)  be  equally 
applauded  or  condemned  with  the  Statesman.  Per 
haps  this  will  not  be  found  so  wild  a  Conceit  if  you 
look  into  the  I93d  Tatler,  Vol.  4.  where  the  Affairs 
of  the  State  and  those  of  the  very  Stage  which  I  am 
now  treating  of,  are,  in  a  Letter  from  Downs  the 
Prompter,1  compar'd,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  Wit 

1  "  Honoured  Sir,  July  i.  1710. 

"  Finding  by  divers  of  your  late  Papers,  that  you  are  a  Friend  to 
the  Profession  of  which  I  was  many  Years  an  unworthy  Member, 
I  the  rather  make  bold  to  crave  your  Advice,  touching  a  Proposal 
that  has  been  lately  made  me  of  coming  into  Business,  and  the 
Sub-Administration  of  Stage  Affairs.  I  have,  from  my  Youth, 
been  bred  up  behind  the  Curtain,  and  been  a  Prompter  from  the 
Time  of  the  Restoration.  I  have  seen  many  Changes,  as  well  of 
Scenes  as  of  Actors,  and  have  known  Men  within  my  Remem 
brance  arrive  to  the  highest  Dignities  of  the  Theatre,  who  made 
their  Entrance  in  the  Quality  of  Mutes,  Joynt-stools,  Flower-pots, 
and  Tapestry  Hangings.  It  cannot  be  unknown  to  the  Nobility 
and  Gentry,  That  a  Gentleman  of  the  Inns  of  Court,  and  a  deep 
Intriguer,  had  some  Time  since  worked  himself  into  the  sole 
Management  and  Direction  of  the  Theatre.  Nor  is  it  less  noto 
rious,  That  his  restless  Ambition,  and  subtle  Machinations,  did 
manifestly  tend  to  the  Extirpation  of  the  good  old  British  Actors, 
and  the  Introduction  of  foreign  Pretenders ;  such  as  Harlequins, 
French  Dancers,  and  Roman  Singers ;  which,  tho'  they  impove- 
rish'd  the  Proprietors,  and  imposed  on  the  Audience,  were  for 
some  Time  tolerated,  by  Reason  of  his  dextrous  Insinuations, 
which  prevailed  upon  a  few  deluded  Women,  especially  the  Vizard 
Masks,  to  believe,  that  the  Stage  was  in  Danger.  But  his  Schemes 
were  soon  exposed,  and  the  Great  Ones  that  supported  him  with 
drawing  their  Favour,  he  made  his  JSxif,  and  remained  for  a  Season 
in  Obscurity.  During  this  Retreat  the  Machiavilian  was  not  idle, 
but  secretly  fomented  Divisions,  and  wrought  over  to  his  Side 


76  THE    LIFE    OF 

and  Humour,  set  upon  an  equal  Foot  of  Policy.  The 
Letter  is  suppos'd  to  have  been  written  in  the  last 
Change  of  the  Ministry  in  Queen  Annes  Time.  I 
will  therefore  venture,  upon  the  Authority  of  that 
Author's  Imagination,  to  carry  the  Comparison  as 
high  as  it  can  possibly  go,  and  say,  That  as  I  re 
member  one  of  our  Princes  in  the  last  Century  to 
have  lost  his  Crown  by  too  arbitrary  a  Use  of  his 
Power,  though  he  knew  how  fatal  the  same  Measures 
had  been  to  his  unhappy  Father  before  him,  why 
should  we  wonder  that  the  same  Passions  taking 
Possession  of  Men  in  lower  Life,  by  an  equally  im- 
politick  Usage  of  their  Theatrical  Subjects,  should 
have  involved  the  Patentees  in  proportionable  Cala 
mities. 

some  of  the  inferior  Actors,  reserving  a  Trap  Door  to  himself,  to 
which  only  he  had  a  Key.  This  Entrance  secured,  this  cunning 
Person,  to  compleat  his  Company,  bethought  himself  of  calling  in 
the  most  eminent  of  Strollers  from  all  Parts  of  the  Kingdom.  I 
have  seen  them  all  ranged  together  behind  the  Scenes  ;  but  they 
are  many  of  them  Persons  that  never  trod  the  Stage  before,  and 
so  very  aukward  and  ungainly,  that  it  is  impossible  to  believe  the 
Audience  will  bear  them.  He  was  looking  over  his  Catalogue  of 
Plays,  and  indeed  picked  up  a  good  tolerable  Set  of  grave  Faces 
for  Counsellors,  to  appear  in  the  famous  Scene  of  Venice  Preserved, 
when  the  Danger  is  over ;  but  they  being  but  meer  Outsides,  and 
the  Actors  having  a  great  Mind  to  play  the  Tempest,  there  is  not 
a  Man  of  them  when  he  is  to  perform  any  Thing  above  Dumb 
Show  is  capable  of  acting  with  a  good  Grace  so  much  as  the 
Part  of  Trincalo.  However,  the  Master  persists  in  his  Design, 
and  is  fitting  up  the  old  Storm ;  but  I  am  afraid  he  will  not  be 
able  to  procure  able  Sailors  or  experienced  Officers  for  Love  or 
Money. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  77 

During  the  Vacation,  which  immediately  follow'd 
the  Silence  of  the  Patent,  both  Parties  were  at  leisure 
to  form  their  Schemes  for  the  Winter :  For  the 
Patentee  would  still  hold  out,  notwithstanding  his 
being  so  miserably  maim'd  or  over-match'd  :  He  had 
no  more  Regard  to  Blows  than  a  blind  Cock  of  the 
Game  ;  he  might  be  beaten,  but  would  never  yield  ; 
the  Patent  was  still  in  his  Possession,  and  the  Broad- 
Seal  to  it  visibly  as  fresh  as  ever  :  Besides,  he  had 
yet  some  Actors  in  his  Service,1  at  a  much  cheaper 

"  Besides  all  this,  when  he  comes  to  cast  the  Parts  there  is  so 
great  a  Confusion  amongst  them  for  Want  of  proper  Actors,  that  for 
my  Part  I  am  wholly  discouraged.  The  Play  with  which  they 
design  to  open  is,  The  Duke  and  no  Duke ;  and  they  are  so  put 
to  it,  That  the  master  himself  is  to  act  the  Conjurer,  and  they 
have  no  one  for  the  General  but  honest  George  Powell. 

"  Now,  Sir,  they  being  so  much  at  a  Loss  for  the  Dramatis  Per- 
sonce,  viz.  the  Persons  to  enact,  and  the  whole  Frame  of  the  House 
being  designed  to  be  altered,  I  desire  your  Opinion,  whether  you 
think  it  advisable  for  me  to  undertake  to  prompt  'em :  For  tho' 
I  can  clash  Swords  when  they  represent  a  Battel,  and  have  yet 
Lungs  enough  to  huzza  their  Victories,  I  question,  if  I  should 
prompt  'em  right,  whether  they  would  act  accordingly. — I  am 
"  Your  Honour's  most  humble  Setvant, 

"J.  DOWNES. 

P.  S.  Sir,  Since  I  writ  this,  I  am  credibly  informed,  That  they 
design  a  New  House  in  Lincoln's- Inn-fields,  near  the  Popish  Chapel, 
to  be  ready  by  Michaelmas  next ;  which  indeed  is  but  repairing 
an  Old  one  that  has  already  failed.  You  know  the  honest  Man 
who  kept  the  Office  is  gone  already." 

1  The  chief  actor  who  remained  with  Rich  was  Booth.  Among 
the  others  were  Powell,  Bickerstaffe,  Pack,  Keene,  Francis  Leigh, 
Norris,  Mrs.  Bignell,  Mrs.  Moor,  Mrs.  Bradshaw,  and  Mrs. 
Knight. 


78  THE    LIFE    OF 

Rate  than  those  who  had  left  him,  the  Sallaries  of 
which  last,  now  they  would  not  work  for  him,  he  was 
not  oblig'd  to  pay.1  In  this  way  of  thinking,  he  still 
kept  together  such  as  had  not  been  invited  over  to 
the  Hay-Market,  or  had  been  influenc'd  by  Booth  to 
follow  his  Fortune  in  Drury-Lane. 

By  the  Patentee's  keeping  these  Remains  of  his 
broken  Forces  together,  it  is  plain  that  he  imagined 
this  Order  of  Silence,  like  others  of  the  same  Kind, 
would  be  recall'd,  of  course,  after  a  reasonable  time 
of  Obedience  had  been  paid  to  it :  But,  it  seems,  he 
had  rely'd  too  much  upon  former  Precedents  ;  nor 
had  his  Politicks  yet  div'd  into  the  Secret  that  the 
Court  Power,  with  which  the  Patent  had  been  so  long 
and  often  at  variance,  had  now  a  mind  to  take  the 
publick  Diversions  more  absolutely  into  their  own 
Hands  :  Not  that  I  have  any  stronger  Reasons  for 
this  Conjecture  than  that  the  Patent  never  after  this 
Order  of  Silence  got  leave  to  play  during  the  Queen's 
Reign.  But  upon  the  Accession  of  his  late  Majesty, 
Power  having  then  a  different  Aspect,  the  Patent 
found  no  Difficulty  in  being  permitted  to  exercise  its 

1  An  interesting  advertisement  was  published  on  Rich's  behalf 
in  July,  1709,  which  gives  curious  particulars  regarding  the  actors' 
salaries.  I  quote  it  from  "Edwin's  Eccentricities,"  i.  219-224, 
without  altering  the  figures,  which,  as  regards  the  pence,  are 
rather  eccentric  : — 

"  ADVERTISEMENT  CONCERNING  THE  POOR  ACTORS,  WHO,  UNDER 

PRETENCE  OF  HARD  USAGE  FROM  THE  PATENTEES,  ARE  ABOUT  TO 
DESERT  THEIR  SERVICE. 

"  Some  persons  having  industriously  spread  about  amongst  the 
Quality  and  others,  what  small  allowances  the  chief  Actors  have 


MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  79 

former  Authority  for  acting  Plays,  &c.  which,  how 
ever,  from  this  time  of  their  lying  still,  in  1 709,  did 
not  happen  'till  1714,  which  the  old  Patentee  never 
liv'd  to  see  :  For  he  dy'd  about  six  weeks  before  the 
new-built  Theatre  m  Lincoln  s-Inn-Fields  was  open'd,1 
where  the  first  Play  acted  was  the  Recruiting  Officer, 
under  the  Menagement  of  his  Heirs  and  Successors. 
But  of  that  Theatre  it  is  not  yet  time  to  give  any 
further  Account. 

The  first  Point  resolv'd  on  by  the  Comedians  now 
re-established  in  the  Hay-Market?  was  to  alter  the 

had  this  last  Winter  from  the  Patentees  of  Drury  Lane  Play-house, 
as  if  they  had  received  no  more  than  so  many  poor  palatines ;  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  print  the  following  Account. 

"  The  whole  company  began  to  act  on  the  i2th  of  October,  1708, 
and  left  off  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  by  reason  of  Prince 


1  It  was  opened  i8th  December,  1714. 

a  The  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records  enable  an  exact  account  to 
be  given  of  the  transactions  which  led  to  the  formation  of  this 
Haymarket  Company.  After  Rich  was  silenced,  his  actors  peti 
tioned  the  Lord  Chamberlain  on  three  separate  occasions,  namely, 
loth  June,  2oth  June,  and  5th  July,  1709,  and  in  answer  to  their 
petitions,  the  Haymarket,  which  was  then  devoted  solely  to 
Opera,  was  permitted  to  be  used  for  Plays  also.  In  an  Answer 
to  the  actors'  petitions,  the  Lord  Chamberlain  permits  the  mana 
ger  of  the  Haymarket  to  engage  such  of  them  as  he  wished,  and 
to  act  Plays  four  times  a  week,  the  other  days  being  devoted  to 
Operas.  This  License  is  dated  8th  July,  1709.  This  is,  of  course, 
only  a  formal  sanction  of  the  private  arrangement  mentioned  by 
Gibber  ante  p.  69 ;  and  was  resented  by  Booth  and  others  who 
were  in  Rich's  favour.  They  therefore  petitioned  the  Queen  direct, 
in  despite  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain  (see  "  Dramatic  Censor,"  181 1, 
col.  112;  Genest,  ii.  426  ;  Mr.  Fitzgerald's* 'New  History,"  i.  273), 
but  no  result  followed,  until  Collier's  advent,  as  is  related  further 
on. 


8o  THE  LIFE    OF 

Auditory  Part  of  their  Theatre,  the  Inconveniencies 
of  which  have  been  fully  enlarged  upon  in  a  former 
Chapter.  What  embarrass'd  them  most  in  this 
Design,  was  their  want  of  Time  to  do  it  in  a  more 
complete  manner  than  it  now  remains  in,  otherwise 
they  had  brought  it  to  the  original  Model  of  that  in 

George's  illness  and  death  ;  and  began  again  the  i4th  of  Decem 
ber  following,  and  left  off  upon  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  order,  on 
the  4th  of  June  last,  1709.  So  acted,  during  that  time,  in  all  135 
days,  which  is  22  weeks  and  three  days,  accounting  six  acting  days 
to  a  week. 

In  that  time  £    s.    d. 

To  Mr.  Wilkes,  by  salary,  for  acting,  and  taking 

care  of  the  rehearsals ;  paid      .         .         .         .     168     6     8 
By  his  Benefit  play ; 90  14     9 


Total     259     i     5 


To  Mr.  Betterton  by  salary,  for  acting,  4/.  a  week 
for  himself,  and  i/.  a  week  for  his  wife,  although 
she  does  not  act ;  paid  .....  112  10  o 

By  a  benefit  play  at  common  prices,  besides  what 
he  got  by  high  prices,  and  Guineas;  paid  .  76  4  5 


188  14     5 

To  Mr.  Eastcourt,  at  5/.  a  week  salary;  paid         .     112  10     o 
By  a  benefit  play  ;  paid 5186 


163  18     6 

To  Mr.  Gibber,  at  5/.  a  week  salary;  paid    .        .     in   10     o 
By  a  benefit  play  ;  paid 51     o  10 


162  10  TO 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  8 1 

Drury-Lane,  only  in  a  larger  Proportion,  as  the 
wider  Walls  of  it  would  require  ;  as  there  are  not 
many  Spectators  who  may  remember  what  Form  the 
Drury-Lane  Theatre  stood  in  about  forty  Years  ago, 
before  the  old  Patentee,  to  make  it  hold  more  Money, 
took  it  in  his  Head  to  alter  it,  it  were  but  Justice  to 

£  s.  d. 
To  Mr.  Mills,  at  4/.  a  week  for  himself,  and  i/.  a 

week  for  his  wife,  for  little  or  nothing  .  .  112  10  o 
By  a  benefit  play  paid  to  him  (not  including  therein 

what  she  got  by  a  benefit  play)          .         .         .       58     i     4 


170  ii     4 

To  Mrs.  Oldfield,  at  4/.  a  week  salary,  which  for  14 
weeks  and  one  day  ;  she  leaving  off  acting  pre 
sently  after  her  benefit  (viz.)  on  the  ijth  of 
March  last,  1708,  though  the  benefit  was  in 
tended  for  her  whole  nine  months  acting,  and 
she  refused  to  assist  others  in  their  benefits ;  her 
salary  for  these  14  weeks  and  one  day  came  to, 
and  she  was  paid,  .  .  .  .  .  56  13  4 

In  January  she  required,  and  was  paid  ten  guineas, 
to  wear  on  the  stage  in  some  plays,  during  the 
whole  season,  a  mantua  petticoat  that  was  given 
her  for  the  stage,  and  though  she  left  off  three 
months  before  she  should,  yet  she  hath  not  re 
turned  any  part  of  the  ten  guineas  .  .  .  10  15  o 

And  she  had  for  wearing  in  some  plays  a  suit  of 

boys  cloaths  on  the  stage ;  paid        .         .         .         2  10     9 

By  a  benefit  play;  paid        .         .        .  .      62     7     8 


132     6     7 

Certainties  in  all     1077     3     8 


82  THE    LIFE   OF 

lay  the  original  Figure  which  Sir  Christopher  Wren 
first  gave  it,  and  the  Alterations  of  it  now  standing, 
in  a  fair  Light ;  that  equal  Spectators  may  see,  if 
they  were  at  their  choice,  which  of  the  Structures 
would  incline  them  to  a  Preference.  But  in  this 

"  Besides  which  certain  sums  abovementioned,  the  same  actors 
got  by  their  benefit  plays,  as  follows  : 

£    *.    d. 
Note,  that  Mr.  Betterton  having  had  767.  4.?.  5^.  as 

above  mentioned,  for  two-thirds  of  the  profits  by 
a  benefit  play,  reckoning  his  tickets  for  the  boxes 
at  55-.  a  piece,  the  pit  at  $s.  the  first  gallery  at  2s. 

and  the  upper  gallery  at  is. But  the  boxes, 

pit,  and  stage,  laid  together  on  his  day,  and  no 
person  admitted  but  by  his  tickets,  the  lowest  at 
half  a  guinea  a  ticket ;  nay  he  had  much  more, 
for  one  lady  gave  him  ten  guineas,  some  five 
guineas,  some  two  guineas,  and  most  one  guinea, 
supposing  that  he  designed  not  to  act  any  more, 
and  he  delivered  tickets  out  for  more  persons, 
than  the  boxes,  pit,  and  stage  could  hold:  it 
is  thought  he  cleared  at  least  45  o/.  over  and 
besides  the  767. 4.$-.  5^. 450  o  o 

JTis  thought  Mr.  Estcourt  cleared  2oo/.  besides  the 

said  5 1/.  8s.  6d.  ......  200  o  o 

That  Mr.Wilkes  cleared  by  Guineas,  as  it  is  thought, 

about  4o/.  besides  the  said  QO/.  i^s.  gd.  .  .  40  o  o 

That  Mr.  Gibber  got  by  Guineas,  as  it  is  thought, 

about  5 o/.  besides  the  said  5i/.  os.  lod.  .  .  50  o  o 

That  Mr.  Mills  got  by  guineas  about  2o/.  as  it  is 

thought,  besides  the  said  58/.  is.  $d.  .  .  20  o  o 

That  Mrs.  Oldfield,  it  is  thought,  got  i2o/.  by 

guineas  over  and  above  the  said  62/.  7,$-.  &/.  .  120  o  o 


In  all     880     o     o 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  83 

Appeal  I  only  speak  to  such  Spectators  as  allow  a 
good  Play  well  acted  to  be  the  most  valuable  Enter 
tainment  of  the  Stage.  Whether  such  Plays  (leaving 

"  So  that  these  six  comedians,  who  are  the  unsatisfied  people, 
have  between  the  1 2th  of  October  and  the  4th  of  June  last,  cleared 
in  all  the  following  sums  : 

£    *•    d. 

Acted  i oo  times,  Mr.  Wilkes  certain         .         .         .     259     i     5 
and  more  by  computation    .       40     o     o 


Both     299     i     5 

Acted  1 6  times,  Mr.  Betterton  certain      .         .         .     188  14     5 
and  more  by  computation    .     450     o     o 


638  14     5 

Acted  52  times,  Mr.  Estcourt  certain        .         .         .     163  18     6 
and  more  by  computation    .     200     o     o 


363  18     6 

Acted  7 1  times,  Mr.  Gibber  certain  .         .         .        .     162   10  10 
and  more  by  computation    .       50     o     o 


212     IO     IO 


Acted  —  times,  Mr.  Mills  certain    .         .         .         .     170  n     4 
and  more  by  computation    .       20     o     o 


190  ii     4 


Acted  39  times,  Mrs.  Oldfield  certain       .         .         .     132     6     7 
and  more  by  computation     .     120     o     3 


252     6     7 
In  all     1957     3     2 


84  THE   LIFE    OF 

the  Skill  of  the  dead  or  living  Actors  equally  out  of  the 
Question)  have  been  more  or  less  recommended  in 
their  Presentation  by  either  of  these  different  Forms 
of  that  Theatre,  is  our  present  Matter  of  Enquiry. 
It  must  be  observ'd,  then,1  that  the  Area  or  Plat- 

"  Had  not  acting  been  forbid  seven  weeks  on  the  occasion  of 
Prince  George's  death,  and  my  Lord  Chamberlain  forbad  acting 
about  five  weeks  before  the  tenth  of  July  instant ;  each  of  these 
actors  would  have  had  twelve  weeks  salary  more  than  is  above- 
mentioned. 

"As  to  the  certainties  expressed  in  this  paper,  to  be  paid  to  the 
six  Actors,  the  same  are  positively  true  :  and  as  to  the  sums  they 
got  over  and  above  such  certainties,  I  believe  the  same  to  be  true, 
according  to  the  best  of  my  computation. 

"Witness  my  hand,  who  am  Receiver  and  Treasurer  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane, 

"July  8th,  1709.  "ZACHARY  BAGGS." 


1  The  description  of  the  shape  of  the  stage  which  follows  is  interest 
ing  and  valuable.  In  early  times  the  stage  was  a  platform  surrounded 
by  the  audience,  not,  as  now,  a  picture  framed  by  the  proscenium. 
This  is  evident,  not  only  from  descriptive  allusions,  but  from  the 
two  drawings  which  have  come  down  to  us  of  the  interior  of  pre-Re- 
storation  theatres — De  Witt's  drawing  of  the  Swan  Theatre  in  1596, 
reproduced  in  Herr  Gaedertz's  "  Zur  Kenntniss  der  altenglischen 
Biihne"  (Bremen,  1888),  and  the  well-known  print  of  the  Red 
Bull  Theatre  during  the  Commonwealth,  which  forms  the  frontis 
piece  to  Kirkman's  "The  Wits,  or  Sport  upon  Sport"  (1672).  In 
both  of  them  the  pit  entirely  surrounds  the  stage  on  three  sides, 
while  the  fourth  side  also  contains  spectators  in  boxes  placed 
above  the  entrance-doors.  By  gradual  modifications  the  shape  of 
the  stage  has  changed,  till  now  the  audience  is  confined  to  one 
side.  The  doors  used  for  entrances  and  exits,  to  which  Gibber 
alludes,  have  disappeared  comparatively  recently.  They  may  be 
seen,  for  instance,  in  Cruikshank's  plates  to  Dickens's  "  Grimaldi." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  85 

form  of  the  old  Stage  projected  about  four  Foot  for 
warder,  in  a  Semi-oval  Figure,  parallel  to  the  Benches 
of  the  Pit ;  and  that  the  former  lower  Doors  of 
Entrance  for  the  Actors  were  brought  down  between 
the  two  foremost  (and  then  only)  Pilasters  ;  in  the 
Place  of  which  Doors  now  the  two  Stage- Boxes  are 
fixt.  That  where  the  Doors  of  Entrance  now  are, 
there  formerly  stood  two  additional  Side-Wings,  in 
front  to  a  full  Set  of  Scenes,  which  had  then  almost 
a  double  Effect  in  their  Loftiness  and  Magnificence. 

By  this  Original  Form,  the  usual  Station  of  the 
Actors,  in  almost  every  Scene,  was  advanc'd  at  least 
ten  Foot  nearer  to  the  Audience  than  they  now  can 
be ;  because,  not  only  from  the  Stage's  being  shorten'd 
in  front,  but  likewise  from  the  additional  Interposi 
tion  of  those  Stage- Boxes,  the  Actors  (in  respect  to 
the  Spectators  that  fill  them)  are  kept  so  much  more 
backward  from  the  main  Audience  than  they  us'd  to 
be  :  But  when  the  Actors  were  in  Possession  of  that 
forwarder  Space  to  advance  upon,  the  Voice  was 
then  more  in  the  Centre  of  the  House,  so  that  the 
most  distant  Ear  had  scarce  the  least  Doubt  or 
Difficulty  in  hearing  what  fell  from  the  weakest 
Utterance :  All  Objects  were  thus  drawn  nearer  to 
the  Sense;  every  painted  Scene  was  stronger;  every 
grand  Scene  and  Dance  more  extended ;  every  rich 
or  fine-coloured  Habit  had  a  more  lively  Lustre  : 
Nor  was  the  minutest  Motion  of  a  Feature  (properly 
changing  with  the  Passion  or  Humour  it  suited)  ever 
lost,  as  they  frequently  must  be  in  the  Obscurity  of 


J 


86  THE    LIFE    OF 

too  great  a  Distance  :  And  how  valuable  an  Advan 
tage  the  Facility  of  hearing  distinctly  is  to  every 
well-acted  Scene,  every  common  Spectator  is  a 
Judge.  A  Voice  scarce  raised  above  the  Tone  of  a 
Whisper,  either  in  Tenderness,  Resignation,  innocent 
Distress,  or  Jealousy  suppressed,  often  have  as  much 
concern  with  the  Heart  as  the  most  clamorous 
Passions  ;  and  when  on  any  of  these  Occasions  such 
affecting  Speeches  are  plainly  heard,  or  lost,  how  wide 
is  the  Difference  from  the  great  or  little  Satisfaction 
received  from  them  ?  To  all  this  a  Master  of  a 
Company  may  say,  I  now  receive  Ten  Pounds  more 
than  could  have  been  taken  formerly  in  every  full 
House  !  Not  unlikely.  But  might  not  his  House 
be  oftener  full  if  the  Auditors  were  oftener  pleas'd  ? 
Might  not  every  bad  House  too,  by  a  Possibility  of 
being  made  every  Day  better,  add  as  much  to  one 
Side  of  his  Account  as  it  could  take  from  the  other  ? 
If  what  I  have  said  carries  any  Truth  in  it,  why 
might  not  the  original  Form  of  this  Theatre  be 
restor'd  ?  but  let  this  Digression  avail  what  it  may, 
the  Actors  now  return'd  to  the  Hay-Market,  as  I 
have  observ'd,  wanting  nothing  but  length  of  Time 
to  have  govern'd  their  Alteration  of  that  Theatre  by 
this  original  Model  of  Drury-Lane  which  I  have 
recommended.  As  their  time  therefore  was  short, 
they  made  their  best  use  of  it ;  they  did  something 
to  it :  They  contracted  its  Wideness  by  three 
Ranges  of  Boxes  on  each  side,  and  brought  down  its 
enormous  high  Ceiling  within  so  proportionable  a 


THEOPHILUS      GIBBER      AS      ANTIENT      PISTOL 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  87 

Compass  that  it  effectually  cur'd  those  hollow  Undu 
lations  of  the  Voice  formerly  complain'd  of.  The 
Remedy  had  its  Effect;  their  Audiences  exceeded 
their  Expectation.  There  was  now  no  other  Theatre 
open  against  them ; l  they  had  the  Town  to  them 
selves  ;  they  were  their  own  Masters,  and  the  Profits 
of  their  Industry  came  into  their  own  Pockets. 

Yet  with  all  this  fair  Weather,  the  Season  of  their 
uninterrupted  Prosperity  was  not  yet  arriv'd  ;  for  the 
great  Expence  and  thinner  Audiences  of  the  Opera 
(of  which  they  then  were  equally  Directors)  was  a  con 
stant  Drawback  upon  their  Gains,  yet  not  so  far  but 
that  their  Income  this  Year  was  better  than  in  their 
late  Station  at  Drury-Lane.  But  by  the  short  Expe 
rience  we  had  then  had  of  Operas ;  by  the  high 
Reputation  they  seem'd  to  have  been  arriv'd  at  the 
Year  before ;  by  their  Power  of  drawing  the  whole 
Body  of  Nobility  as  by  Enchantment  to  their  So 
lemnities  ;  by  that  Prodigality  of  Expence  at  which 
they  were  so  willing  to  support  them  ;  and  from  the 
late  extraordinary  Profits  Swiney  had  made  of  them, 
what  Mountains  did  we  not  hope  from  this  Mole 
hill  ?  But  alas  !  the  fairy  Vision  was  vanish'd ;  this 
bridal  Beauty  was  grown  familiar  to  the  general 
Taste,  and  Satiety  began  to  make  Excuses  for  its 
want  of  Appetite :  Or,  what  is  still  stranger,  its 

1  The  Haymarket  opened  on  i5th  September,  1709,  and  there 
was  no  rival  theatre  till  23rd  November,  when  Drury  Lane 
opened ;  but  from  this  latter  date  till  the  end  of  the  season  both 
theatres  were  open. 

II.  G 


88  THE   LIFE    OF 

late  Admirers  now  as  much  valued  their  Judgment 
in  being  able  to  find  out  the  Faults  of  the  Performers, 
as  they  had  before  in  discovering  their  Excellencies. 
The  Truth  is,  that  this  kind  of  Entertainment  being 
so  entirely  sensual,  it  had  no  Possibility  of  getting 
the  better  of  our  Reason  but  by  its  Novelty ;  and  that 
Novelty  could  never  be  supported  but  by  an  annual 
Change  of  the  best  Voices,  which,  like  the   finest 
Flowers,  bloom  but  for  a  Season,  and  when  that  is 
over  are  only  dead  Nose-gays.      From  this  Natural 
Cause  we  have  seen  within  these  two  Years  even 
Farinelli  singing  to  an  Audience  of  five  and  thirty 
Pounds,  and  yet,  if  common  Fame  may  be  credited, 
the  same  Voice,  so  neglected  in  one  Country,  has  in 
another  had  Charms  sufficient  to  make  that  Crown 
sit  easy  on  the  Head  of  a  Monarch,  which  the  Jea 
lousy  of   Politicians    (who  had  their  Views   in  his 
keeping  it)  fear'd,  without  some  such  extraordinary 
Amusement,  his  Satiety  of  Empire  might  tempt  him 
a  second  time  to  resign.1 

There  is,  too,  in  the  very  Species  oiaxiltalian  Singer 
such  an  innate,  fantastical  Pride  and  Caprice,  that  the 
Government  of  them  (here  at  least)  is  almost  im- 

1  Bellchambers  has  here  the  following  note  : — "  The  monarch 
alluded  to,  I  suppose,  was  Victor  Amadeus,  King  of  Sardinia. 
Carlo  Broschi,  better  known  by  the  name  of  Farinelli,  was  bom  in 
the  dukedom  of  Modena,  in  1705,  and  suffered  emasculation, 
from  an  accident,  when  young.  The  Spanish  king  Ferdinand 
created  him  a  knight  of  Calatrava,  honoured  him  with  his  friend 
ship,  and  added  to  his  fortune.  He  returned  to  Italy  on  his 
patron's  death,  and  died  in  1782." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  89 

practicable.  This  Distemper,  as  we  were  not  suffi 
ciently  warn'd  or  apprized  of,  threw  our  musical 
Affairs  into  Perplexities  we  knew  not  easily  how  to 
get  out  of.  There  is  scarce  a  sensible  Auditor  in 
the  Kingdom  that  has  not  since  that  Time  had  Occa 
sion  to  laugh  at  the  several  Instances  of  it :  But 
what  is  still  more  ridiculous,  these  costly  Canary- 
Birds  have  sometimes  infested  the  whole  Body  of 
our  dignified  Lovers  of  Musick  with  the  same  childish 
Animosities  :  Ladies  have  been  known  to  decline 
their  Visits  upon  account  of  their  being  of  a  different 
musical  Party.  Cczsar  and  Pompey  made  not  a 
warmer  Division  in  the  Roman  Republick  than  those 
Heroines,  their  Country  Women,  the  Faustina  and 
Cuzzoni,  blew  up  in  our  Common-wealth  of  Academi 
cal  Musick  by  their  implacable  Pretensions  to  Supe 
riority.1  And  while  this  Greatness  of  Soul  is  their 
unalterable  Virtue,  it  will  never  be  practicable  to 
make  two  capital  Singers  of  the  same  Sex  do  as 
they  should  do  in  one  Opera  at  the  same  time !  no, 
not  tho'  England  were  to  double  the  Sums  it  has 
already  thrown  after  them :  For  even  in  their  own 

1  Francesca  Cuzzoni  and  Faustina  Bordoni  Hasse,  whose 
famous  rivalry  in  1726  and  1727  is  here  referred  to,  were  singers 
of  remarkable  powers.  Cuzzoni's  voice  was  a  soprano,  her 
rival's  a  mezzo-soprano,  and  while  the  latter  excelled  in  brilliant 
execution,  the  former  was  supreme  in  pathetic  expression.  Dr. 
Burney  ("History  of  Music,"  iv.  319)  quotes  from  M.  Quantz  the 
statement  that  so  keen  was  their  supporters'  party  spirit,  that 
when  one  party  began  to  applaud  their  favourite,  the  other  party 
hissed  ! 


9O  THE    LIFE    OF 

Country,  where  an  extraordinary  Occasion  has  called 
a  greater  Number  of  their  best  to  sing  together,  the 
Mischief  they  have  made  has  been  proportionable ; 
an  Instance  of  which,  if  I  am  rightly  inform'd,  hap- 
pen'd  at  Parma,  where,  upon  the  Celebration  of  the 
Marriage  of  that  Duke,  a  Collection  was  made  of  the 
most  eminent  Voices  that  Expence  or  Interest  could 
purchase,  to  give  as  complete  an  Opera  as  the  whole 
vocal  Power  of  Italy  could  form.  But  when  it  came 
to  the  Proof  of  this  musical  Project,  behold !  what 
woful  Work  they  made  of  it !  every  Performer  would 
be  a  Cczsar  or  Nothing  ;  their  several  Pretensions  to 
Preference  were  not  to  be  limited  within  the  Laws 
of  Harmony  ;  they  would  all  choose  their  own  Songs, 
but  not  more  to  set  off  themselves  than  to  oppose 
or  deprive  another  of  an  Occasion  to  shine  :  Yet 
any  one  would  sing  a  bad  Song,  provided  no  body 
else  had  a  good  one,  till  at  last  they  were  thrown 
together,  like  so  many  feather' d  Warriors,  for  a  Battle- 
royal  in  a  Cock-pit,  where  every  one  was  oblig'd  to 
kill  another  to  save  himself!  What  Pity  it  was  these 
fro  ward  Misses  and  Masters  of  Musick  had  not  been 
engag'd  to  entertain  the  Court  of  some  King  of 
Morocco,  that  could  have  known  a  good  Opera  from 
a  bad  one !  with  how  much  Ease  would  such  a 
Director  have  brought  them  to  better  Order  ?  But 
alas !  as  it  has  been  said  of  greater  Things, 

Suis  et  ipsa  Roma  viribus  ruit.         Hor.1 
1  Horace,  Epod.  xvi.  2. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  9 1 

Imperial  Rome  fell  by  the  too  great  Strength  of  its 
own  Citizens  !  So  fell  this  mighty  Opera,  ruin'd  by 
the  too  great  Excellency  of  its  Singers !  For,  upon 
the  whole,  it  proved  to  be  as  barbarously  bad  as  if 
Malice  it  self  had  composed  it. 

Now  though  something  of  this  kind,  equally  pro 
voking,  has  generally  embarrass'd  the  State  of 
Operas  these  thirty  Years,  yet  it  was  the  Misfortune 
of  the  menaging  Actors  at  the  Hay-Market  to  have 
felt  the  first  Effects  of  it :  The  Honour  of  the 
Singer  and  the  Interest  of  the  Undertaker  were  so 
often  at  Variance,  that  the  latter  began  to  have  but 
a  bad  Bargain  of  it.  But  not  to  impute  more  to  the 
Caprice  of  those  Performers  than  was  really  true, 
there  were  two  different  Accidents  that  drew  Num 
bers  from  our  Audiences  before  the  Season  was 
ended ;  which  were  another  Company  permitted  to 
act  in  Drury-Lane?  and  the  long  Trial  of  Doctor 
Sacheverel  in  Westminster -H all  :*  By  the  way,  it 
must  be  observed  that  this  Company  was  not  under 
the  Direction  of  the  Patent  (which  continued  still 
silenced)  but  was  set  up  by  a  third  Interest,  with  a 
License  from  Court.  The  Person  to  whom  this  new 
License  was  granted  was  William  Collier,  Esq., 

1  See  note  on  page  87. 

*  The  trial  opened  on  27th  February,  1710,  and  lasted  for  more 
than  three  weeks.  The  political  excitement  it  caused  must  have 
done  great  harm  to  theatricals.  Shadwell,  in  the  Preface  to  "  The 
Fair  Quaker  of  Deal/'  mentioned  post^  page  95,  says  it  was  a 
success,  "  Notwithstanding  the  trial  in  Westminster- Hall,  and  the 
rehearsal  of  the  new  opera." 


92  THE    LIFE    OF 

a  Lawyer  of  an  enterprizing  Head  and  a  jovial 
Heart;  what  sort  of  Favour  he  was  in  with  the 
People  then  in  Power  may  be  judg'd  from  his  being 
often  admitted  to  partake  with  them  those  detach'd 
Hours  of  Life  when  Business  was  to  give  way  to 
Pleasure  :  But  this  was  not  all  his  Merit,  he  was  at 
the  same  time  a  Member  of  Parliament  for  Truro  in 
Cornwall,  and  we  cannot  suppose  a  Person  so  quali 
fied  could  be  refused  such  a  Trifle  as  a  License  to 
head  a  broken  Company  of  Actors.  This  sagacious 
Lawyer,  then,  who  had  a  Lawyer  to  deal  with, 
observing  that  his  Antagonist  kept  Possession  of  a 
Theatre  without  making  use  of  it,  and  for  which  he 
was  not  obliged  to  pay  Rent  unless  he  actually  did 
use  it,  wisely  conceived  it  might  be  the  Interest  of 
the  joint  Landlords,  since  their  Tenement  was  in  so 
precarious  a  Condition,  to  grant  a  Lease  to  one  who 
had  an  undisputed  Authority  to  be  liable,  by  acting 
Plays  in  it,  to  pay  the  Rent  of  it ;  especially  when  he 
tempted  them  with  an  Offer  of  raising  it  from  three 
to  four  Pounds  per  Diem.  His  Project  succeeded, 
the  Lease  was  sign'd ;  but  the  Means  of  getting  into 
Possession  were  to  be  left  to  his  own  Cost  and  Dis 
cretion.  This  took  him  up  but  little  Time ;  he  im 
mediately  laid  Siege  to  it  with  a  sufficient  Number 
of  Forces,  whether  lawless  or  lawful  I  forget,  but 
they  were  such  as  obliged  the  old  Governor  to  give 
it  up ;  who,  notwithstanding,  had  got  Intelligence  of 
his  Approaches  and  Design  time  enough  to  carry  off 
every  thing  that  was  worth  moving,  except  a  great 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  93 

Number  of  old  Scenes  and  new  Actors  that  could 
not  easily  follow  him.1 

A  ludicrous  Account  of  this  Transaction,  under 
fictitious  Names,  may  be  found  in  the  99th  Tatler, 
Vol.  2.  which  this  Explanation  may  now  render  more 
intelligible  to  the  Readers  of  that  agreeable  Author.2 

1  In  the  British  Museum  will  be  found  a  copy  of  the  report  by 
the  Attorney-General  and  Solicitor-General,  who  were  ordered  by 
Queen  Anne  to  inquire  into  this  business.     Rich  declared  that 
Collier  broke  into  the  theatre  with  an  armed  mob  of  soldiers,  &c., 
but  Collier  denied  the  soldiers,  though  he  admitted  the  breaking 
in.     He  gave  as  his  authority  for  taking  possession  a  letter  signed 
by  Sir  James  Stanley,  dated  iQth  November,  1709,  by  which  the 
Queen  gave  him  authority  to  act,  and  required  him  not  to  allow 
Rich  to  have  any  concern  in  the  theatre.     His  authority  was  ap 
pointed  to  run  from  23rd  November,  1709. 

2  "Tatler,"  No.  99,   26th  November,    1709:  "  Divito  [Rich] 
was  too  modest  to  know  when  to  resign  it,  till  he  had  the  Opinion 

and  Sentence  of  the  Law  for  his  Removal The  lawful 

Ruler  [of  Drury  Lane]  sets  up  an  Attorney  to  expel  an  Attorney, 
and  chose  a  Name  dreadful  to  the  Stage  [that  is  Collier],  who  only 
seemed  able  to  beat  Divito  out  of  his  Intrenchments. 

"  On  the  22d  Instant,  a  Night  of  public  Rejoycing,  the  Enemies 
of  Divito  made  a  Largess  to  the  People  of  Faggots,  Tubs,  and 
other  combustible  Matter,  which  was  erected  into  a  Bonfire  before 
the  Palace.  Plentiful  Cans  were  at  the  same  time  distributed 
among  the  Dependences  of  that  Principality ;  and  the  artful  Rival 
of  Divito  observing  them  prepared  for  Enterprize,  presented  the 
lawful  Owner  of  the  neighbouring  Edifice,  and  showed  his  Depu 
tation  under  him.  War  immediately  ensued  upon  the  peaceful 
Empire  of  Wit  and  the  Muses ;  The  Goths  and  Vandals  sacking 
Rome  did  not  threaten  a  more  barbarous  Devastation  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  But  when  they  had  forced  their  Entrance,  the  expe 
rienced  Divito  had  detached  all  his  Subjects,  and  evacuated  all 
his  Stores.  The  neighbouring  Inhabitants  report,  That  the  Refuse 
of  Divito's  Followers  inarched  off  the  Night  before  disguised  in 


94  THE    LIFE    OF 

This  other  new  License  being  now  in  Possession 
of  the  Drury-Lane  Theatre,  those  Actors  whom  the 
Patentee  ever  since  the  Order  of  Silence  had  retain' d 
in  a  State  of  Inaction,  all  to  a  Man  came  over  to  the 
Service  of  Collier.  Of  these  Booth  was  then  the 
chief.1  The  Merit  of  the  rest  had  as  yet  made  no 
considerable  Appearance,  and  as  the  Patentee  had 
not  left  a  Rag  of  their  Cloathing  behind  him,  they 
were  but  poorly  equip'd  for  a  publick  Review ;  con 
sequently  at  their  first  Opening  they  were  very 
little  able  to  annoy  us.  But  during  the  Trial  of 
Sacheverel  our  Audiences  were  extremely  weakened 
by  the  better  Rank  of  People's  daily  attending  it : 
While,  at  the  same  time,  the  lower  Sort,  who  were 

Magnificence ;  Door-Keepers  came  out  clad  like  Cardinals,  and 
Scene-Drawers  like  Heathen  Gods.  Divito  himself  was  wrapped 
up  in  one  of  his  black  Clouds,  and  left  to  the  Enemy  nothing  but 
an  empty  Stage,  full  of  Trap-Doors,  known  only  to  himself  and  his 
Adherents." 

1  Barton  Booth,  Theophilus  Keen,  Norris,  John  Bickerstaffe, 
George  Powell,  Francis  Leigh,  George  Pack,  Mrs.  Knight,  Mrs. 
Bradshaw,  and  Mrs.  Moore  were  Collier's  chief  performers.  As 
most  of  them  had  signed  the  petition  in  Rich's  favour  which  I 
mentioned  in  a  note  on  page  79,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  distur 
bances  soon  arose.  Collier  appointed  Aaron  Hill  to  manage  the 
company,  and  his  post  seems  to  have  been  a  somewhat  lively  one. 
On  1 4th  June,  1710,  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records  contain  an 
entry  which  proves  how  rebellious  the  company  were.  Powell, 
Booth,  Bickerstaffe,  Keen,  and  Leigh,  are  stated  to  have  defied 
and  beaten  Aaron  Hill,  to  have  broken  open  the  doors  of  the 
theatre,  and  made  a  riot  generally.  For  this  Powell  is  discharged, 
and  the  others  suspended.  Mr.  Fitzgerald  ("  New  History,"  i.  308 
et  seq.)  quotes  a  letter  from  Hill,  in  which  some  account  of  this 
matter  is  given. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  95 

not  equally  admitted  to  that  grand  Spectacle,  as 
eagerly  crowded  into  Drury-Lane  to  a  new  Comedy 
call'd  The  fair  Quaker  of  Deal.  This  Play  having 
some  low  Strokes  of  natural  Humour  in  it,  was 
rightly  calculated  for  the  Capacity  of  the  Actors 
who  play  d  it,  and  to  the  Taste  of  the  Multitude  who 
were  now  more  disposed  and  at  leisure  to  see  it : * 
But  the  most  happy  Incident  in  its  Fortune  was  the 
Charm  of  the  fair  Quaker  which  was  acted  by  Miss 
Santlow,  (afterwards  Mrs.  BootJt)  whose  Person  was 
then  in  the  full  Bloom  of  what  Beauty  she  might 
pretend  to  :  Before  this  she  had  only  been  admired 
as  the  most  excellent  Dancer,  which  perhaps  might 
not  a  little  contribute  to  the  favourable  Reception 
she  now  met  with  as  an  Actress,  in  this  Character 
which  so  happily  suited  her  Figure  and  Capacity : 
The  gentle  Softness  of  her  Voice,  the  composed 
Innocence  of  her  Aspect,  the  Modesty  of  her  Dress, 

1  Charles  ShadwelPs  "  Fair  Quaker  of  Deal "  was  produced  at 
Drury  Lane  on  25th  February,  1710.  In  the  Preface  the  author 
says,  "  This  play  was  written  about  three  years  since,  and  put  into 
the  hands  of  a  famous  Comedian  belonging  to  the  Haymarket  Play 
house,  who  took  care  to  beat  down  the  value  of  it  so  much,  as  to 
offer  the  author  to  alter  it  fit  to  appear  on  the  stage,  on  condition 
he  might  have  half  the  profits  of  the  third  day,  and  the  dedication 
entire ;  that  is  as  much  as  to  say,  that  it  may  pass  for  one  of  his, 
according  to  custom.  The  author  not  agreeing  to  this  reasonable 
proposal,  it  lay  in  his  hands  till  the  beginning  of  this  winter,  when 
Mr.  Booth  read  it,  and  liked  it,  and  persuaded  the  author,  that, 
with  a  little  alteration,  it  would  please  the  town  "  (Bell's  edition). 
If,  as  is  likely,  Gibber  is  the  actor  referred  to,  his  abuse  of  the 
play  and  the  actors  is  not  unintelligible. 


96  THE  LIFE    OF    MR.   COLLEY  GIBBER. 

the  reserv'd  Decency  of  her  Gesture,  and  the  Sim 
plicity  of  the  Sentiments  that  naturally  fell  from  her, 
made  her  seem  the  amiable  Maid  she  represented  : 
In  a  Word,  not  the  enthusiastick  Maid  of  Orleans 
was  more  serviceable  of  old  to  the  French  Army 
when  the  EnglisklnaA  distressed  them,  than  this  fair 
Quaker  was  at  the  Head  of  that  dramatick  Attempt 
upon  which  the  Support  of  their  weak  Society  de 
pended.1 

But  when  the  Trial  I  have  mention'd  and  the  Run 
of  this  Play  was  over,  the  Tide  of  the  Town  begin 
ning  to  turn  again  in  our  Favour,  Collier  was  reduced 
to  give  his  Theatrical  Affairs  a  different  Scheme ; 
which  advanced  the  Stage  another  Step  towards  that 
Settlement  which,  in  my  Time,  was  of  the  longest 
Duration. 

1  Hester  Santlow,  the  "  Santlow,  fam'd  for  dance"  of  Gay, 
married  Barton  Booth.  She  appears  to  have  retired  from  the 
stage  about  1733.  Genest  (iii.  375)  says,  "she  seems  to  have 
been  a  pleasing  actress  with  no  great  powers."  Her  reputation 
was  none  of  the  best  before  her  marriage,  for  she  was  said  to  have 
been  the  mistress  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  and  of  Secretary 
Craggs.  See  memoir  of  Booth. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Patentee,  having  now  no  Actors,  rebuilds  the  new  Theatre  in 
Lincolns-Inn-Fields.  A  Guess  at  his  Reasons  for  it.  More 
Changes  in  the  State  of  the  Stage.  The  Beginning  of  its  letter 
Days  under  the  Triumvirate  of  Actors.  A  Sketch  of  their  govern 
ing  Characters. 

AS  coarse  Mothers  may  have  comely  Children, 
so  Anarchy  has  been  the  Parent  of  many  a 
good  Government ;  and  by  a  Parity  of  possible 
Consequences,  we  shall  find  that  from  the  frequent 
Convulsions  of  the  Stage  arose  at  last  its  longest 
Settlement  and  Prosperity ;  which  many  of  my 
Readers  (or  if  I  should  happen  to  have  but  few  of 
them,  many  of  my  Spectators  at  least)  who  I  hope 


98  THE    LIFE    OF 

have  not  yet  liv'd  half  their  Time,  will  be  able  to 
remember. 

Though  the  Patent  had  been  often  under  Dis 
tresses,  it  had  never  felt  any  Blow  equal  to  this  uft- 
revoked  Order  of  Silence;  which  it  is  not  easy  to 
conceive  could  have  fallen  upon  any  other  Person's 
Conduct  than  that  of  the  old  Patentee  :  For  if  he 
was  conscious  of  his  being  under  the  Subjection  of 
that  Power  which  had  silenc'd  him,  why  would  he 
incur  the  Danger  of  a  Suspension  by  his  so  obsti 
nate  and  impolitick  Treatment  of  his  Actors  ?  If  he 
thought  such  Power  over  him  illegal,  how  came  he 
to  obey  it  now  more  than  before,  when  he  slighted  a 
former  Order  that  injoin'd  him  to  give  his  Actors 
their  Benefits  on  their  usual  Conditions  ? l  But  to  do 
him  Justice,  the  same  Obstinacy  that  involv'd  him 
in  these  Difficulties,  at  last  preserv'd  to  his  Heirs 
the  Property  of  the  Patent  in  its  full  Force  and 
Value  ; 2  yet  to  suppose  that  he  foresaw  a  milder  use 
of  Power  in  some  future  Prince's  Reign  might,  be 
more  favourable  to  him,  is  begging  at  best  but  a  cold 
Question.  But  whether  he  knew  that  this  broken 

1  Genest  (ii.  430)  has  the  following  outspoken  character  of 
Rich :     "  He   seems   in   his   public  capacity    of    Patentee   and 
Manager  to  have  been  a  despicable  character — without  spirit  to 
bring  the  power  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain  to  a  legal  test — 'without 
honesty  to  account  to  the  other  proprietors  for-  the  receipts  of  the 
theatre — without  any  feeling  for  his  actors — and  without  the  least 
judgment  as  to  players  and  plays." 

2  Rich's  Patent  was  revived,  as  Gibber  states  (p.  78),  in  1714, 
when  it  was  the  property  of  his  son,  John  Rich. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  99 

Condition  of  the  Patent  would  not  make  his  trouble 
some  Friends  the  Adventurers  fly  from  it  as  from 
a  falling  House,  seems  not  so  difficult  a  Question. 
However,  let  the  Reader  form  his  own  Judgment  of 
them  from  the  Facts  that  follow'd  :  It  must  therefore 
be  observ'd,  that  the  Adventurers  seldom  came  near 
the  House  but  when  there  was  some  visible  Appear 
ance  of  a  Dividend :  But  I  could  never  hear  that 
upon  an  ill  Run  of  Audiences  they  had  ever  returned 
or  brought  in  a  single  Shilling,  to  make  good  the 
Deficiencies  of  their  daily  Receipts.  Therefore,  as 
the  Patentee  in  Possession  had  alone,  for  several 
Years,  supported  and  stood  against  this  Uncertainty 
of  Fortune,  it  may  be  imagin'd  that  his  Accounts 
were  under  so  voluminous  a  Perplexity  that  few  of 
those  Adventurers  would  have  Leisure  or  Capacity 
enough  to  unravel  them  :  And  as  they  had  formerly 
thrown  away  their  Time  and  Money  at  law  in  a  fruit 
less  Enquiry  into  them,  they  now  seem'd  to  have 
intirely  given  up  their  Right  and  Interest:  And, 
according  to  my  best  Information,  notwithstanding 
the  subsequent  Gains  of  the  Patent  have  been  some 
times  extraordinary,  the  farther  Demands  or  Claims 
of  Right  of  the  Adventurers  have  lain  dormant 
above  these  five  and  twenty  Years.1 

1  There  is  no  more  curious  transaction  in  theatrical  history 
than  the  acquisition  of  the  entire  right  in  the  Patent  by  Rich  and  his 
son.  Christopher  Rich's  share  (see  note  on  p.  32)  was  seventeen 
one-hundredths,  or  about  one-sixth  ;  yet,  by  obstinate  dishonesty, 
he  succeeded  in  annexing  the  remainder. 


100  THE   LIFE   OF 

Having  shewn  by  what  means  Collier  had  dispos- 
sess'd  this  Patentee,  not  only  of  the  Drury-Lane 
House,  but  likewise  of  those  few  Actors  which  he  had 
kept  for  some  time  unemploy'd  in  it,  we  are  now  led 
to  consider  another  Project  of  the  same  Patentee, 
which,  if  we  are  to  judge  of  it  by  the  Event,  has 
shewn  him  more  a  Wise  than  a  Weak  Man  ;  which 
I  confess  at  the  time  he  put  it  in  Execution  seem'd 
not  so  clear  a  Point :  For  notwithstanding  he  now 
saw  the  Authority  and  Power  of  his  Patent  was 
superseded,  or  was  at  best  but  precarious,  and  that 
he  had  not  one  Actor  left  in  his  Service,  yet,  under 
all  these  Dilemma's  and  Distresses,  he  resolv'd  upon 
rebuilding  the  New  Theatre  in  Lincolns- Inn- Fields, 
of  which  he  had  taken  a  Lease,  at  a  low  Rent,  ever 
since  Better  tons  Company  had  first  left  it.1  This 
Conduct  seem'd  too  deep  for  my  Comprehension  ! 
What  are  we  to  think  of  his  taking  this  Lease  in 
the  height  of  his  Prosperity,  when  he  could  have  no 
Occasion  for  it  ?  Was  he  a  Prophet  ?  Could  he 
then  foresee  he  should,  one  time  or  other,  be  turn'd 
out  of  Drury-Lane?  Or  did  his  mere  Appetite  of 
Architecture  urge  him  to  build  a  House,  while  he 
could  not  be  sure  he  should  ever  have  leave  to  make 
use  of  it  ?  But  of  all  this  we  may  think  as  we  please  ; 
whatever  was  his  Motive,  he,  at  his  own  Expence, 
in  this  Interval  of  his  having  nothing  else  to  do,  re 
built  that  Theatre  from  the  Ground,  as  it  is  now 

1  In  March,  1705. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  IOI 

standing.1  As  for  the  Order  of  Silence,  he  seem'd 
little  concern'd  at  it  while  it  gave  him  so  much  un 
interrupted  Leisure  to  supervise  a  Work  which  he 
naturally  took  Delight  in. 

After  this  Defeat  of  the  Patentee,  the  Theatrical 
Forces  of  Collier  in  Drury-Lane,  notwithstanding 
their  having  drawn  the  Multitude  after  them  for 
about  three  Weeks  during  the  Trial  of  Sacheverel, 
had  made  but  an  indifferent  Campaign  at  the  end  of 
the  Season.  Collier  at  least  found  so  little  Account 
in  it,  that  it  obliged  him  to  push  his  Court- Interest 
(which,  wherever  the  Stage  was  concern'd,  was  not 
inconsiderable)  to  support  him  in  another  Scheme  ; 
which  was,  that  in  consideration  of  his  giving  up  the 
Drury-Lane,  Cloaths,  Scenes,  and  Actors,  to  Swiney 

1  There  has  been  some  doubt  as  to  the  locality  of  the  theatre  in 
Little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  in  which  Betterton  acted,  one  authority 
at  least  holding  that  he  played  in  Gibbons'  Tennis  Court  in  Vere 
Street,  Clare  Market.  But  Gibber  distinctly  states  that  Rich 
rented  the  building  which  Betterton  left  in  1705,  and  old  maps  of 
London  show  clearly  that  Rich's  theatre  was  in  Portugal  Street, 
just  opposite  the  end  of  the  then  unnamed  street,  now  called 
Carey  Street.  In  "A  New  and  Exact  Plan  of  the  Cities  of 
London  and  Westminster,"  published  3oth  August,  1738,  by 
George  Foster,  "  The  New  Play  House  "  is  given  as  the  name  of 
this  building,  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Gibber,  a  few  lines 
above,  writes  of  "  the  New  Theatre  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields."  See 
also  vol.  i.  p.  192,  note  i,  where  I  quote  Downes,  who  calls 
Betterton's  theatre  the  New  Theatre  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 
About  1756  this  house  was  made  a  barrack;  it  was  afterwards  an 
auction  room ;  then  the  China  Repository  of  Messrs.  Spode  and 
Copeland,  and  was  ultimately  pulled  down  about  1848  to  make 
room  for  the  extension  of  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons. 


I O2  THE   LIFE    OF 

and  his  joint  Sharers  in  the  Hay-Market,  he  (Collier} 
might  be  put  into  an  equal  Possession  of  the  Hay- 
Market  Theatre,  with  all  the  Singers,  &c.  and  be 
made  sole  Director  of  the  Opera.  Accordingly,  by 
Permission  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  a  Treaty  was 
enter' d  into,  and  in  a  few  Days  ratified  by  all  Parties, 
conformable  to  the  said  Preliminaries.1  This  was 
that  happy  Crisis  of  Theatrical  Liberty  which  the 
labouring  Comedians  had  long  sigh'd  for,  and  which, 
for  above  twenty  Years  following,  was  so  memorably 
fortunate  to  them. 

However,  there  were  two  hard  Articles  in  this 
Treaty,  which,  though  it  might  be  Policy  in  the 
Actors  to  comply  with,  yet  the  Imposition  of  them 
seem'd  little  less  despotick  than  a  Tax  upon  the 
Poor  when  a  Government  did  not  want  it. 

The  first  of  these  Articles  was,  That  whereas  the 
sole  License  for  acting  Plays  was  presum'd  to  be  a 
more  profitable  Authority  than  that  for  acting  Operas 
only,  that  therefore  Two  Hundred  Pounds  a  Year 
should  be  paid  to  Collier,  while  Master  of  the  Opera, 
by  the  Comedians;  to  whom  a  verbal  Assurance 
was  given  by  the  Plenipos  on  the  Court-side,  that 
while  such  Payment  subsisted  no  other  Company 
should  be  permitted  to  act  Plays  against  them  within 
the  Liberties,  &c.  The  other  Article  was,  That  on 
every  Wednesday  whereon  an  Opera  could  be  per- 

1  The  Licence  to  Swiney,  Wilks,  Gibber,  and  Dogget,  for 
Drury  Lane,  is  dated  6th  November,  1710.  In  it  Swiney's  name 
is  spelled  "Swyny,"  and  Gibber's  "  Cybber." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 03 

form'd,  the  Plays  should,  to  ties  quoties,  be  silent  at 
Drury-Lane,  to  give  the  Opera  a  fairer  Chance  for 
a  full  House. 

This  last  Article,  however  partial  in  the  Intention, 
was  in  its  Effect  of  great  Advantage  to  the  sharing 
Actors :  For  in  all  publick  Entertainments  a  Day's 
Abstinence  naturally  increases  the  Appetite  to  them  : 
Our  every  Thursdays  Audience,  therefore,  was 
visibly  the  better  by  thus  making  the  Day  before  it 
a  Fast.  But  as  this  was  not  a  Favour  design'd  us, 
this  Prohibition  of  a  Day,  methinks,  deserves  a  little 
farther  Notice,  because  it  evidently  took  a  sixth  Part 
of  their  Income  from  all  the  hired  Actors,  who  were 
only  paid  in  proportion  to  the  Number  of  acting 
Days.  This  extraordinary  Regard  to  Operas  was, 
in  effect,  making  the  Day-labouring  Actors  the 
principal  Subscribers  to  them,  and  the  shutting  out 
People  from  the  Play  every  Wednesday  many  mur- 
mur'd  at  as  an  Abridgment  of  their  usual  Liberty. 
And  tho'  I  was  one  of  those  who  profited  by  that 
Order,  it  ought  not  to  bribe  me  into  a  Concealment 
of  what  was  then  said  and  thought  of  it.  I  remember 
a  Nobleman  of  the  first  Rank,  then  in  a  high  Post, 
and  not  out  of  Court- Favour,  said  openly  behind  the 

Scenes //  was  shameful  to  take  part  of  the  Actors 

Bread  from  them  to  support  the  silly  Diversion  of 
People  of  Quality.  But  alas !  what  was  all  this 
Grievance  when  weighed  against  the  Qualifications 
of  so  grave  and  stanch  a  Senator  as  Collier?  Such 
visible  Merit,  it  seems,  was  to  be  made  easy,  thp'  at 


104  THE  LIFE  OF 

the  Expence  of  the — I  had  almost  said,  Honoiir  of 
the  Court,  whose  gracious  Intention  for  the  Thea 
trical  Common-wealth  might  have  shone  with  thrice 
the  Lustre  if  such  a  paltry  Price  had  not  been  paid 
for  it.  But  as  the  Government  of  the  Stage  is  but  • 
that  of  the  World  in  Miniature,  we  ought  not  to 
have  wonder' d  that  Collier  had  Interest  enough  to 
quarter  the  Weakness  of  the  Opera  upon  the  Strength 
of  the  Comedy.  General  good  Intentions  are  not 
always  practicable  to  a  Perfection.  The  most  neces 
sary  Law  can  hardly  pass,  but  a  Tenderness  to  some 
private  Interest  shall  often  hang  such  Exceptions  upon 
particular  Clauses,  'till  at  last  it  comes  out  lame  and 
lifeless,  with  the  Loss  of  half  its  Force,  Purpose,  and 
Dignity.  As,  for  Instance,  how  many  fruitless  Mo 
tions  have  been  made  in  Parliaments  to  moderate 
the  enormous  Exactions  in  the  Practice  of  the  Law  ? 
And  what  sort  of  Justice  must  that  be  call'd,  which, 
when  a  Man  has  not  a  mind  to  pay  you  a  Debt  of 
Ten  Pounds,  it  shall  cost  you  Fifty  before  you  can 
get  it?  How  long,  too,  has  the  Publick  been  labour 
ing  for  a  Bridge  at  Westminster  ?  But  the  Wonder 
that  it  was  not  built  a  Hundred  Years  ago  ceases 
when  we  are  told,  That  the  Fear  of  making  one  End 
of  London  as  rich  as  the  other  has  been  so  long  an 
Obstruction  to  it :  *  And  though  it  might  seem  a  still 

1  Westminster  Bridge  was  authorized  to  be  built  in  the  face  of 
virulent  opposition  from  the  Corporation  of  London,  who  feared 
that  its  existence  would  damage  the  trade  of  the  City.  Dr.  Potter, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  others  interested,  applied  for  an 


HESTER      SANTLOW 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 05 

greater  Wonder,  when  a  new  Law  for  building  one 
had  at  last  got  over  that  Apprehension,  that  it  should 
meet  with  any  farther  Delay ;  yet  Experience  has 
shewn  us  that  the  Structure  of  this  useful  Ornament 
to  our  Metropolis  has  been  so  clogg'd  by  private 
Jobs  that  were  to  be  pick'd  out  of  the  Undertaking, 
and  the  Progress  of  the  Work  so  disconcerted  by  a 
tedious  Contention  of  private  Interests  and  Endea 
vours  to  impose  upon  the  Publick  abominable  Bar 
gains,  that  a  whole  Year  was  lost  before  a  single 
Stone  could  be  laid  to  its  Foundation.  But  Posterity 
will  owe  its  Praises  to  the  Zeal  and  Resolution  of  a 
truly  Noble  Commissioner,  whose  distinguished  Im 
patience  has  broke  thro'  those  narrow  Artifices,  those 
false  and  frivolous  Objections  that  delay'd  it,  and 
has  already  began  to  raise  above  the  Tide  that  future 
Monument  of  his  Publick  Spirit.1 

How  far  all  this  may  be  allow'd  applicable  to  the 
State  of  the  Stage  is  not  of  so  great  Importance,  nor 
so  much  my  Concern,  as  that  what  is  observed  upon 
it  should  always  remain  a  memorable  Truth,  to  the 
Honour  of  that  Nobleman.  But  now  I  go  on  : 
Collier  being  thus  possess'd  of  his  Musical  Govern 
ment,  thought  his  best  way  would  be  to  farm  it  out 

Act  of  Parliament  in  1736 ;  the  bridge  was  begun  in  1738,  and 
not  finished  till  1750,  the  opening  ceremony  being  held  on  i7th 
November  of  that  year.  Until  this  time  the  only  bridge  was 
London  Bridge.  See  "Old  and  New  London,"  iii.  297. 

1  I  presume  the  Noble  Commissioner  is  the  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
who  laid  the  first  stone  of  the  bridge  on  2Qth  January,  1739. 

II.  H 


106  THE   LIFE   OF 

to  a  Gentleman,  Aaron  Hill,  Esq.1  (who  he  had 
reason  to  suppose  knew  something  more  of  Theatrical 
Matters  than  himself)  at  a  Rent,  if  I  mistake  not,  of 
Six  Hundred  Pounds  per  Annum :  But  before  the 
Season  was  ended  (upon  what  occasion,  if  I  could 
remember,  it  might  not  be  material  to  say)  took  it 
into  his  Hands  again :  But  all  his  Skill  and  Interest 
could  not  raise  the  Direction  of  the  Opera  to  so 
good  a  Post  as  he  thought  due  to  a  Person  of  his 
Consideration  :  He  therefore,  the  Year  following, 
enter'd  upon  another  high-handed  Scheme,  which, 
'till  the  Demise  of  the  Queen,  turn'd  to  his  better 
Account. 

After  the  Comedians  were  in  Possession  of  Drury- 
Lane,  from  whence  during  my  time  upon  the  Stage 
they  never  departed,  their  Swarm  of  Audiences  ex 
ceeded  all  that  had  been  seen  in  thirty  Years  before ; 
which,  however,  I  do  not  impute  so  much  to  the 
Excellence  of  their  Acting  as  to  their  indefatigable 
Industry  and  good  Menagement ;  for,  as  I  have  often 
said,  I  never  thought  in  the  general  that  we  stood 
in  any  Place  of  Comparison  with  the  eminent  Actors 
before  us  ;  perhaps,  too,  by  there  being  now  an  End 
of  the  frequent  Divisions  and  Disorders  that  had 
from  time  to  time  broke  in  upon  and  frustrated  their 
Labours,  not  a  little  might  be  contributed  to  their 
Success. 

1  Collier  seems  to  have  relied  on  Aaron  Hill  in  all  his  theatrical 
enterprises,  for,  as  previously  noted,  Hill  had  been  manager  for 
him  at  Drury  Lane. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 07 

Collier,  then,  like  a  true  liquorish  Courtier,  observ 
ing  the  Prosperity  of  a  Theatre,  which  he  the  Year 
before  had  parted  with  for  a  worse,  began  to  meditate 
an  Exchange  of  Theatrical  Posts  with  Swiney,  who 
had  visibly  very  fair  Pretensions  to  that  he  was  in, 
by  his  being  first  chosen  by  the  Court  to  regulate 
and  rescue  the  Stage  from  the  Disorders  it  had  suf- 
fer'd  under  its  former  Menagers  : 1  Yet  Collier  knew 
that  sort  of  Merit  could  stand  in  no  Competition 
with  his  being  a  Member  of  Parliament :  He  there 
fore  had  recourse  to  his  Court- Interest  (where  meer 
Will  and  Pleasure  at  that  time  was  the  only  Law 
that  disposed  of  all  Theatrical  Rights)  to  oblige 
Swiney  to  let  him  be  off  from  his  bad  Bargain  for  a 
better.  To  this  it  may  be  imagin'd  Swiney  demurr'd, 
and  as  he  had  Reason,  strongly  remonstrated  against 
it  :  But  as  Collier  had  listed  his  Conscience  under 
the  Command  of  Interest,  he  kept  it  to  strict  Duty, 
and  was  immoveable  ;  insomuch  that  Sir  John  Van- 
brugh,  who  was  a  Friend  to  Swiney,  and  who,  by  his 
Intimacy  with  the  People  in  Power,  better  knew  the 
Motive  of  their  Actions,  advis'd  Swiney  rather  to 
accept  of  the  Change,  than  by  a  Non-compliance  to 
hazard  his  being  excluded  from  any  Post  or  Concern 
in  either  of  the  Theatres  :  To  conclude,  it  was  not 
long  before  Collier  had  procured  a  new  License  for 
acting  Plays,  &c.  for  himself,  Wilks,  Dogget,  and 
Cibber,  exclusive  of  Swiney,  who  by  this  new  Regula- 

1  At  the  end  of  the  season  1708-9.     See  ante,  p.  69. 


IO8  THE    LIFE    OF 

tion  was  reduc'd  to  his  Hobsoris  Choice  of  the 
Opera.1 

Swiney  being  thus  transferr'd  to  the  Opera2  in  the 
sinking  Condition  Collier  had  left  it,  found  the  Re 
ceipts  of  it  in  the  Winter  following,  1 71 1,  so  far  short 
of  the  Expences,  that  he  was  driven  to  attend  his 
Fortune  in  some  more  favourable  Climate,  where  he 
remain'd  twenty  Years  an  Exile  from  his  Friends 
and  Country,  tho'  there  has  been  scarce  an  English 
Gentleman  who  in  his  Tour  of  France  or  Italy  has 
not  renew'd  or  created  an  Acquaintance  with  him. 
As  this  is  a  Circumstance  that  many  People  may 
have  forgot,  I  cannot  remember  it  without  that  Re 
gard  and  Concern  it  deserves  from  all  that  know 
him :  Yet  it  is  some  Mitigation  of  his  Misfortune 
that  since  his  Return  to  England,  his  grey  Hairs  and 
cheerful  Disposition  have  still  found  a  general  Wel 
come  among  his  foreign  and  former  domestick  Ac 
quaintance. 

Collier  being  nowfirst-commission'd  Menager  with 
the  Comedians,  drove  them,  too,  to  the  last  Inch  of  a 
hard  Bargain  (the  natural  Consequence  of  all  Treaties 
between  Power  and  Necessity.)  He  not  only  de 
manded  six  hundred  a  Year  neat  Money,  the  Price 
at  which  he  had  farm'd  out  his  Opera,  and  to  make 
the  Business  a  Sine-cure  to  him,  but  likewise  insisted 

1  Collier's  treatment  of  Swiney  was  so  discreditable,  that  when 
he  in  his  turn  was  evicted  from  Drury  Lane  (1714)  we  cannot 
help  feeling  gratified  at  his  downfall. 

2  Swiney 's  Licence  for  the  Opera  is  dated  i7th  April,  1712. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  ICX) 

upon  a  Moiety  of  the  Two  hundred  that  had  been 
levied  upon  us  the  Year  before  in  Aid  of  the  Operas  ; 
in  all  7oo/.  These  large  and  ample  Conditions, 
considering  in  what  Hands  we  were,  we  resolv'd  to 
swallow  without  wry  Faces  ;  rather  chusing  to  run 
any  Hazard  than  contend  with  a  formidable  Power 
against  which  we  had  no  Remedy  :  But  so  it  hap- 
pen'd  that  Fortune  took  better  care  of  our  Interest 
than  we  ourselves  had  like  to  have  done  :  For  had 
Collier  accepted  of  our  first  Offer,  of  an  equal  Share 
with  us,  he  had  got  three  hundred  Pounds  a  Year 
more  by  complying  with  it  than  by  the  Sum  he  im 
posed  upon  us,  our  Shares  being  never  less  than  a 
thousand  annually  to  each  of  us,  'till  the  End  of  the 
Queen's  Reign  in  1714.  After  which  Colliers  Com 
mission  was  superseded,  his  Theatrical  Post,  upon 
the  Accession  of  his  late  Majesty,  being  given  to  Sir 
Richard  Steeled 

From  these  various  Revolutions  in  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  Theatre,  all  owing  to  the  Patentees  mis 
taken  Principle  of  increasing  their  Profits  by  too  far 
enslaving  their  People,  and  keeping  down  the  Price 
of  good  Actors  (and  I  could  almost  insist  that  giving 
large  Sallaries  to  bad  Ones  could  not  have  had  a 
worse  Consequence)  I  say,  when  it  is  consider'd  that 
the  Authority  for  acting  Plays,  &c.  was  thought  of 
so  little  worth  that  (as  has  been  observ'd)  Sir  Thomas 

1  For  a  further  account  of  Steele's  being  given  a  share  of  the 
Patent,  which  he  got  through  Marlborough's  influence,  see  the 
beginning  of  Chapter  XV. 


IIO  THE    LIFE    OF 

Skipwith  gave  away  his  Share  of  it,  and  the  Adven 
turers  had  fled  from  it ;  that  Mr.  Congreve,  at  another 
time,  had  voluntarily  resign'd  it ;  and  Sir  John  Van- 
brugh  (meerly  to  get  the  Rent  of  his  new  House 
paid)  had,  by  Leave  of  the  Court,  farm'd  out  his 
License  to  Swiney,  who  not  without  some  Hesitation 
had  ventur'd  upon  it ;  let  me  say  again,  out  of  this 
low  Condition  of  the  Theatre,  was  it  not  owing  to 
the  Industry  of  three  or  four  Comedians  that  a  new 
Place  was  now  created  for  the  Crown  to  give  away, 
without  any  Expence  attending  it,  well  worth  the 
Acceptance  of  any  Gentleman  whose  Merit  or  Ser 
vices  had  no  higher  Claim  to  Preferment,  and  which 
Collier  and  Sir  Richard  Steele,  in  the  two  last  Reigns, 
successively  enjoy'd  ?  Tho'  I  believe  I  may  have 
said  something  like  this  in  a  former  Chapter,1  I  am 
not  unwilling  it  should  be  twice  taken  notice  of. 

We  are  now  come  to  that  firm  Establishment  of 
the  Theatre,  which,  except  the  Admittance  of  Booth 
into  a  Share  and  Doggefs  retiring  from  it,  met  with 
no  Change  or  Alteration  for  above  twenty  Years 
after. 

Collier,  as  has  been  said,  having  accepted  of  a  cer 
tain  Appointment  of  seven  hundred  per  Annum, 
Wilks,  Dogget,  and  Myself  were  now  the  only  acting 
Menagers  under  the  Queen's  License ;  which  being 
a  Grant  but  during  Pleasure  oblig'd  us  to  a  Con 
duct  that  might  not  undeserve  that  Favour.  At  this 

1  See  vol.  i.  284-5. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  Ill 

Time  we  were  All  in  the  Vigour  of  our  Capacities  as 
Actors,  and  our  Prosperity  enabled  us  to  pay  at 
least  double  the  Sallaries  to  what  the  same  Actors 
had  usually  receiv'd,  or  could  have  hoped  for  under 
the  Government  of  the  Patentees.  Dogget,  who  was 
naturally  an  Oeconomist,  kept  our  Expences  and 
Accounts  to  the  best  of  his  Power  within  regulated 
Bounds  and  Moderation.  Wilks,  who  had  a  stronger 
Passion  for  Glory  than  Lucre,  was  a  little  apt  to  be 
lavish  in  what  was  not  always  as  necessary  for  the 
Profit  as  the  Honour  of  the  Theatre  :  For  example, 
at  the  Beginning  of  almost  every  Season,  he  would 
order  two  or  three  Suits  to  be  made  or  refreshed  for 
Actors  of  moderate  Consequence,  that  his  having 
constantly  a  new  one  for  himself  might  seem  less 
particular,  tho'  he  had  as  yet  no  new  Part  for  it. 
This  expeditious  Care  of  doing  us  good  without  wait 
ing  for  our  Consent  to  it,  Dogget  always  look'd  upon 
with  the  Eye  of  a  Man  in  Pain :  But  I,  who  hated 
Pain,  (tho'  I  as  little  liked  the  Favour  as  Dogget 
himself)  rather  chose  to  laugh  at  the  Circumstance, 
than  complain  of  what  I  knew  was  not  to  be  cured 
but  by  a  Remedy  worse  than  the  Evil.  Upon  these 
Occasions,  therefore,  whenever  I  saw  him  and  his 
Followers  so  prettily  dress' d  out  for  an  old  Play,  I 
only  commended  his  Fancy  ;  or  at  most  but  whisper'd 
him  not  to  give  himself  so  much  trouble  about  others, 
upon  whose  Performance  it  would  but  be  thrown 
away  :  To  which,  with  a  smiling  Air  of  Triumph 
over  my  want  of  Penetration,  he  has  reply'd — Why, 


112  THE    LIFE    OF 

now,  that  was  what  I  really  did  it  for !  to  shew  others 
that  I  love  to  take  care  of  them  as  well  as  of  myself. 
Thus,  whenever  he  made  himself  easy,  he  had  not 
the  least  Conception,  let  the  Expence  be  what  it 
would,  that  we  could  possibly  dislike  it.  And  from 
the  same  Principle,  provided  a  thinner  Audience 
were  liberal  of  their  Applause,  he  gave  himself  little 
Concern  about  the  Receipt  of  it.  As  in  these  dif 
ferent  Tempers  of  my  Brother-Menagers  there  might 
be  equally  something  right  and  wrong,  it  was  equally 
my  Business  to  keep  well  with  them  both  :  And  tho' 
of  the  two  I  was  rather  inclin'd  to  Doggefs  way  of 
thinking,  yet  I  was  always  under  the  disagreeable 
Restraint  of  not  letting  Wilks  see  it:  Therefore, 
when  in  any  material  Point  of  Menagement  they 
were  ready  to  come  to  a  Rupture,  I  found  it  adviseable 
to  think  neither  of  them  absolutely  in  the  wrong ; 
but  by  giving  to  one  as  much  of  the  Right  in  his 
Opinion  this  way  as  I  took  from  the  other  in  that, 
their  Differences  were  sometimes  soft'ned  into  Con 
cessions,  that  I  have  reason  to  think  prevented  many 
ill  Consequences  in  our  Affairs  that  otherwise  might 
have  attended  them.  But  this  was  always  to  be 
done  with  a  very  gentle  Hand  ;  for  as  Wilks  was  apt 
to  be  easily  hurt  by  Opposition,  so  when  he  felt  it  he 
was  as  apt  to  be  insupportable.  However,  there  were 
some  Points  in  which  we  were  always  unanimous. 
In  the  twenty  Years  while  we  were  our  own  Direc 
tors,  we  never  had  a  Creditor  that  had  occasion  to 
come  twice  for  his  Bill  ;  every  Monday  Morning  dis- 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  113 

charged  us  of  all  Demands  before  we  took  a  Shilling 
for  our  own  Use.  And  from  this  time  we  neither 
ask'd  any  Actor,  nor  were  desired  by  them,  to  sign 
any  written  Agreement  (to  the  best  of  my  Memory) 
whatsoever :  The  Rate  of  their  respective  Sallaries 
were  only  enter'd  in  our  daily  Pay- Roll ;  which  plain 
Record  every  one  look'd  upon  as  good  as  City- 
Security  :  For  where  an  honest  Meaning  is  mutual, 
the  mutual  Confidence  will  be  Bond  enough  in  Con 
science  on  both  sides  :  But  that  I  may  not  ascribe 
more  to  our  Conduct  than  was  really  its  Due,  I  ought 
to  give  Fortune  her  Share  of  the  Commendation ; 
for  had  not  our  Success  exceeded  our  Expectation, 
it  might  not  have  been  in  our  Power  so  throughly  to 
have  observ'd  those  laudable  Rules  of  Oeconomy, 
Justice,  and  Lenity,  which  so  happily  supported  us  : 
But  the  Severities  and  Oppression  we  had  suffer' d 
under  our  former  Masters  made  us  incapable  of 
imposing  them  on  others ;  which  gave  our  whole 
Society  the  cheerful  Looks  of  a  rescued  People. 
But  notwithstanding  this  general  Cause  of  Content, 
it  was  not  above  a  Year  or  two  before  the  Imperfec 
tion  of  human  Nature  began  to  shew  itself  in  con 
trary  Symptoms.  The  Merit  of  the  Hazards  which 
the  Menagers  had  run,  and  the  Difficulties  they  had 
combated  in  bringing  to  Perfection  that  Revolution 
by  which  they  had  all  so  amply  profited  in  the 
Amendment  of  their  general  Income,  began  now  to 
be  forgotten  ;  their  Acknowledgments  and  thankful 
Promises  of  Fidelity  were  no  more  repeated,  or 


I  14  THE    LIFE    OF 

scarce  thought  obligatory :  Ease  and  Plenty  by  an 
habitual  Enjoyment  had  lost  their  Novelty,  and  the 
Largeness  of  their  Sallaries  seem'd  rather  lessen'd 
than  advanc'd  by  the  extraordinary  Gains  of  the 
Undertakers  ;  for  that  is  the  Scale  in  which  the  hired 
Actor  will  always  weigh  his  Performance  ;  but  what 
ever  Reason  there  may  seem  to  be  in  his  Case,  yet, 
as  he  is  frequently  apt  to  throw  a  little  Self-partiality 
into  the  Balance,  that  Consideration  may  a  good 
deal  alter  the  Justness  of  it.  While  the  Actors,  there 
fore,  had  this  way  of  thinking,  happy  was  it  for  the 
Menagers  that  their  united  Interest  was  so  insepa 
rably  the  same,  and  that  their  Skill  and  Power  in 
Acting  stood  in  a  Rank  so  far  above  the  rest,  that  if 
the  whole  Body  of  private  Men  had  deserted  them, 
it  would  yet  have  been  an  easier  matter  for  the 
Menagers  to  have  pick'd  up  Recruits,  than  for  the 
Deserters  to  have  found  proper  Officers  to  head 
them.  Here,  then,  in  this  Distinction  lay  our  Secu 
rity  :  Our  being  Actors  ourselves  was  an  Advantage 
to  our  Government  which  all  former  Menagers,  who 
were  only  idle  Gentlemen,  wanted :  Nor  was  our 
Establishment  easily  to  be  broken,  while  our  Health 
and  Limbs  enabled  us  to  be  Joint-labourers  in  the 
Work  we  were  Masters  of. 

The  only  Actor  who,  in  the  Opinion  of  the  Pub- 
lick,  seem'd  to  have  had  a  Pretence  of  being  ad 
vanc'd  to  a  Share  with  us  was  certainly  Booth :  But 
when  it  is  consider'd  how  strongly  he  had  oppos'd 
the  Measures  that  had  made  us  Menagers,  by  setting 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  115 

himself  (as  has  been  observed)  at  the  Head  of  an 
opposite  Interest,1  he  could  not  as  yet  have  much  to 
complain  of :  Beside,  if  the  Court  had  thought  him, 
now,  an  equal  Object  of  Favour,  it  could  not  have 
been  in  our  Power  to  have  oppos'd  his  Preferment : 
This  I  mention,  not  to  take  from  his  Merit,  but  to 
shew  from  what  Cause  it  was  not  as  yet  better  pro 
vided  for.  Therefore  it  may  be  no  Vanity  to  say, 
our  having  at  that  time  no  visible  Competitors  on 
the  Stage  was  the  only  Interest  that  rais'd  us  to  be 
the  Menagers  of  it. 

But  here  let  me  rest  a  while,  and  since  at  my 
time  of  Day  our  best  Possessions  are  but  Ease  and 
Quiet,  I  must  be  content,  if  I  will  have  Sallies  of 
Pleasure,  to  take  up  with  those  only  that  are  to  be 
found  in  Imagination.  When  I  look  back,  there 
fore,  on  the  Storms  of  the  Stage  we  had  been 
toss'd  in ;  when  I  consider  that  various  Vicissitude 
of  Hopes  and  Fears  we  had  for  twenty  Years 
struggled  with,  and  found  ourselves  at  last  thus 
safely  set  on  Shore  to  enjoy  the  Produce  of  our  own 
Labours,  and  to  have  rais'd  those  Labours  by  our 
Skill  and  Industry  to  a  much  fairer  Profit,  than  our 
Task-masters  by  all  their  severe  and  griping  Govern 
ment  had  ever  reap'd  from  them,  a  good-natur'd 
Reader,  that  is  not  offended  at  the  Comparison  of 
great  things  with  small,  will  allow  was  a  Triumph 
in  proportion  equal  to  those  that  have  attended  the 

1  That  is,  he  had  been  the  chief  of  Collier's  Company  at  Drury 
Lane  at  his  opening  in  November,  1709.     See  ante,  p.  94. 


Il6  THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER. 

most  heroick  Enterprizes  for  Liberty !  What  Trans 
port  could  the  first  Brutus  feel  upon  his  Expulsion 
of  the  Targuins  greater  than  that  which  now  danc'd 
in  the  Heart  of  a  poor  Actor,  who,  from  an  injur'd 
Labourer,  unpaid  his  Hire,  had  made  himself,  with 
out  Guilt,  a  legal  Menager  of  his  own  Fortune  ? 
Let  the  Grave  and  Great  contemn  or  yawn  at  these 
low  Conceits,  but  let  me  be  happy  in  the  Enjoyment 
of  them !  To  this  Hour  my  Memory  runs  o'er  that 
pleasing  Prospect  of  Life  past  with  little  less  Delight 
than  when  I  was  first  in  the  real  Possession  of  it. 
This  is  the  natural  Temper  of  my  Mind,  which  my 
Acquaintance  are  frequently  Witnesses  of :  And  as 
this  was  all  the  Ambition  Providence  had  made  my 
obscure  Condition  capable  of,  I  am  thankful  that 
Means  were  given  me  to  enjoy  the  Fruits  of  it. 

Hoc  est 

Vivere  bis,  vita  posse  prior e  frui.1 

Something  like  the  Meaning  of  this  the  less  learned 
Reader  may  find  in  my  Title  Page. 

1  Martial,  x.  23,  7. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Stage  in  its  highest  Prosperity.  The  Menagers  not  without 
Errors.  Of  what  Kind.  Cato  first  acted.  What  brought  it  to 
the  Stage.  The  Company  go  to  Oxford.  Their  Success  and  different 
Auditors  there.  Booth  made  a  Sharer.  Dogget  objects  to  him. 
Quits  the  Stage  upon  his  Admittance.  That  not  his  true  Reason. 
What  was.  DoggetV  Theatrical  Character. 

XT  OTWITHST  AN  DING  the  Managing  Actors 
-L  II  were  now  in  a  happier  Situation  than  their 
utmost  Pretensions  could  have  expected,  yet  it  is 
not  to  be  suppos'd  but  wiser  Men  might  have  mended 
it.  As  we  could  not  all  govern  our  selves,  there  were 
Seasons  when  we  were  not  all  fit  to  govern  others. 
Our  Passions  and  our  Interest  drew  not  always  the 


I  1 8  THE    LIFE    OF 

same  way.  Self  had  a  great  Sway  in  our  Debates  : 
We  had  our  Partialities ;  our  Prejudices  ;  our  Fa 
vourites  of  less  Merit ;  and  our  Jealousies  of  those 
who  came  too  near  us  ;  Frailties  which  Societies  of 
higher  Consideration,  while  they  are  compos'd  of 
Men,  will  not  always  be  free  from.  To  have  been 
constantly  capable  of  Unanimity  had  been  a  Blessing 
too  great  for  our  Station:  One  Mind  among  three 
People  were  to  have  had  three  Masters  to  one  Ser 
vant  ;  but  when  that  one  Servant  is  called  three  diffe 
rent  ways  at  the  same  time,  whose  Business  is  to  be 
done  first  ?  For  my  own  Part,  I  was  forced  almost 
all  my  Life  to  give  up  my  Share  of  him.  And  if  I 
could,  by  Art  or  Persuasion,  hinder  others  from 
making  what  I  thought  a  wrong  use  of  their  Power, 
it  was  the  All  and  utmost  I  desired.  Yet,  whatever 
might  be  our  Personal  Errors,  I  shall  think  I  have 
no  Right  to  speak  of  them  farther  than  where  the 
Publick  Entertainment  was  affected  by  them.  If 
therefore,  among  so  many,  some  particular  Actors 
were  remarkable  in  any  part  of  their  private  Lives, 
that  might  sometimes  make  the  World  merry  with 
out  Doors,  I  hope  my  laughing  Friends  will  excuse 
me  if  I  do  not  so  far  comply  with  their  Desires  or 
Curiosity  as  to  give  them  a  Place  in  my  History.  I 
can  only  recommend  such  Anecdotes  to  the  Amuse 
ment  of  a  Noble  Person,  who  (in  case  I  conceal 
them)  does  me  the  flattering  Honour  to  threaten  my 
Work  with  a  Supplement.  'Tis  enough  for  me  that 
such  Actors  had  their  Merits  to  the  Publick  :  Let 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  I  1 9 

those  recite  their  Imperfections  who  are  themselves 
without  them  :  It  is  my  Misfortune  not  to  have  that 
Qualification.  Let  us  see  then  (whatever  was  amiss 
in  it)  how  our  Administration  went  forward. 

When  we  were  first  invested  with  this  Power,  the 
Joy  of  our  so  unexpectedly  coming  into  it  kept  us 
for  some  time  in  Amity  and  Good- Humour  with  one 
another  :  And  the  Pleasure  of  reforming  the  many 
false  Measures,  Absurdities,  and  Abuses,  that,  like 
Weeds,  had  suck'd  up  the  due  Nourishment  from 
the  Fruits  of  the  Theatre,  gave  us  as  yet  no  leisure 
for  private  Dissentions.  Our  daily  Receipts  ex 
ceeded  our  Imagination :  And  we  seldom  met  as  a 

o 

Board  to  settle  our  weekly  Accounts  without  the  Satis 
faction  of  Joint- Heirs  just  in  Possession  of  an  unex 
pected  Estate  that  had  been  distantly  intail'd  upon 
them.  Such  a  sudden  Change  of  our  Condition  it 
may  be  imagin'd  could  not  but  throw  out  of  us  a 
new  Spirit  in  almost  every  Play  we  appeared  in : 
Nor  did  we  ever  sink  into  that  common  Negligence 
which  is  apt  to  follow  Good-fortune  :  Industry  we 
knew  was  the  Life  of  our  Business ;  that  it  not  only 
conceal' d  Faults,  but  was  of  equal  Value  to  greater 
Talents  without  it ;  which  the  Decadence  once  of 
Better  tons  Company  in  Lincoln  s- Inn- Fields  had 
lately  shewn  us  a  Proof  of. 

This  then  was  that  happy  Period,  when  both 
Actors  and  Menagers  were  in  their  highest  Enjoy 
ment  of  general  Content  and  Prosperity.  Now  it 
was  that  the  politer  World,  too,  by  their  decent 


120  THE    LIFE  OF 

Attention,  their  sensible  Taste,  and  their  generous 
Encouragements  to  Authors  and  Actors,  once  more 
saw  that  the  Stage,  under  a  due  Regulation,  was 
capable  of  being  what  the  wisest  Ages  thought  it 
might  be,  The  most  rational  Scheme  that  Human 
Wit  could  form  to  dissipate  with  Innocence  the 
Cares  of  Life,  to  allure  even  the  Turbulent  or  Ill- 
disposed  from  worse  Meditations,  and  to  give  the 
leisure  Hours  of  Business  and  Virtue  an  instructive 
Recreation. 

If  this  grave  Assertion  is  less  recommended  by 
falling  from  the  Pen  of  a  Comedian,  I  must  appeal 
for  the  Truth  of  it  to  the  Tragedy  of  Cato,  which  was 
first  acted  in  1712. l  I  submit  to  the  Judgment  of 
those  who  were  then  the  sensible  Spectators  of  it,  if 
the  Success  and  Merit  of  that  Play  was  not  an 
Evidence  of  every  Article  of  that  Value  which  I 
have  given  to  a  decent  Theatre  ?  But  (as  I  was 
observing)  it  could  not  be  expected  the  Summer 

1  This  is  a  blunder,  which,  by  the  way,  Bellchambers  does  not 

correct.  "Cato"  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  on  i4th  April, 
1713.  The  cast  was  : — 

CATO Mr.  Booth. 

Lucius Mr.  Keen. 

SEMPRONIUS Mr.  Mills. 

JUBA Mr.  Wilks. 

SYPHAX Mr.  Gibber. 

PORTIUS Mr.  Powell. 

MARCUS Mr.  Ryan. 

DECIUS Mr.  Bowman. 

MARCIA Mrs.  Oldfield. 

LUCIA  .  Mrs.  Porter. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  121 

Days  I  am  speaking  of  could  be  the  constant  Weather 
of 'the  Year;  we  had  our  clouded  Hours  as  well  as 
our  sun-shine,  and  were  not  always  in  the  same  Good- 
Humour  with  one  another :  Fire,  Air,  and  Water 
could  not  be  more  vexatiously  opposite  than  the 
different  Tempers  of  the  Three  Menagers,  though 
they  might  equally  have  their  useful  as  well  as  their 
destructive  Qualities.  H  ow  variously  these  Elements 
in  our  several  Dispositions  operated  may  be  judged 
from  the  following  single  Instance,  as  well  as  a 
thousand  others,  which,  if  they  were  all  to  be  told, 
might  possibly  make  my  Reader  wish  I  had  forgot 
them. 

Much  about  this  time,  then,  there  came  over  from 
Dublin  Theatre  two  uncelebrated  Actors  to  pick  up 
a  few  Pence  among  us  in  the  Winter,  as  Wilks  had 
a  Year  or  two  before  done  on  their  side  the  Water 
in  the  Summer.1  But  it  was  not  so  clear  to  Dogget  and 
myself  that  it  was  in  their  Power  to  do  us  the  same 
Service  in  Drury-Lane  as  Wilks  might  have  done 
them  in  Dublin.  However,  Wilks  was  so  much  a 
Man  of  Honour  that  he  scorned  to  be  outdone  in 

1  "The  Laureat"  says  these  Irish  actors  were  Elrington  and 
Griffith,  but  I  venture  to  think  that  Evans's  name  should  be  sub 
stituted  for  that  of  Griffith.  All  three  came  from  Ireland  to  Drury 
Lane  in  1714;  but,  while  Elrington  and  Evans  played  many 
important  characters,  Griffith  did  very  little.  Again,  I  can  find 
no  record  of  the  latter's  benefit,  but  the  others  had  benefits  in 
the  best  part  of  the  season.  The  fact  that  they  had  separate 
benefits  makes  my  theory  contradict  Gibber  on  this  one  point ; 
but  what  he  says  may  have  occurred  in  connection  with  one  of 
the  two  benefits.  Gibber's  memory  is  not  infallible. 


122  THE    LIFE    OF 

the  least  Point  of  it,  let  the  Cost  be  what  it  would 
to  his  Fellow-Menagers,  who  had  no  particular 
Accounts  of  Honour  open  with  them.  To  acquit 
himself  therefore  with  a  better  Grace,  Wilks  so 
order' d  it,  that  his  Hibernian  Friends  were  got  upon 
our  Stage  before  any  other  Menager  had  well  heard 
of  their  Arrival.  This  so  generous  Dispatch  of  their 
Affair  gave  Wilks  a  very  good  Chance  of  convincing 
his  Friends  that  Himself  was  sole  Master  of  the 
Masters  of  the  Company.  Here,  now,  the  different 
Elements  in  our  Tempers  began  to  work  with  us. 
While  Wilks  was  only  animated  by  a  grateful  Hos 
pitality  to  his  Friends,  Dogget  was  ruffled  into  a 
Storm,  and  look'd  upon  this  Generosity  as  so  much 
Insult  and  Injustice  upon  himself  and  the  Frater 
nity.  During  this  Disorder  I  stood  by,  a  seeming 
quiet  Passenger,  and,  since  talking  to  the  Winds  I 
knew  could  be  to  no  great  Purpose  (whatever  Weak 
ness  it  might  be  call'd)  could  not  help  smiling  to 
observe  with  what  officious  Ease  and  Delight  Wilks 
was  treating  his  Friends  at  our  Expence,  who  were 
scarce  acquainted  with  them  :  For  it  seems  all  this 
was  to  end  in  their  having  a  Benefit-Play  in  the 
Height  of  the  Season,  for  the  unprofitable  Service 
they  had  done  us  without  our  Consent  or  Desire  to 
employ  them.  Upon  this  Dogget  bounc'd  and  grew 
almost  as  untractable  as  Wilks  himself.  Here,  again, 
I  was  forc'd  to  clap  my  Patience  to  the  Helm  to 
weather  this  difficult  Point  between  them  :  Applying 
myself  therefore  to  the  Person  I  imagin'd  was  most 


ROBERT      WILKS, 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  123 

likely  to  hear  me,  I  desired  Dogget  "  to  consider  that 
"  I  must  naturally  be  as  much  hurt  by  this  vain  and 
"  over-bearing  Behaviour  in  Wilks  as  he  could  be ; 
"  and  that  tho'  it  was  true  these  Actors  had  no  Pre- 
"  tence  to  the  Favour  designed  them,  yet  we  could 
"  not  say  they  had  done  us  any  farther  Harm,  than 
"  letting  the  Town  see  the  Parts  they  had  been 
"  shewn  in,  had  been  better  done  by  those  to  whom 
"  they  properly  belong'd :  Yet  as  we  had  greatly 
"  profited  by  the  extraordinary  Labour  of  Wilks,  who 
"  acted  long  Parts  almost  every  Day,  and  at  least 
"  twice  to  Doggefs  once ; 1  and  that  I  granted  it 
"  might  not  be  so  much  his  Consideration  of  our 
"  common  Interest,  as  his  Fondness  for  Applause, 
"  that  set  him  to  Work,  yet  even  that  Vanity,  if  he 
"  supposed  it  such,  had  its  Merit  to  us ;  and  as  we 
"  had  found  our  Account  in  it,  it  would  be  Folly 
"  upon  a  Punctilio  to  tempt  the  Rashness  of  a  Man, 
"  who  was  capable  to  undo  all  he  had  done,  by  any 
"  Act  of  Extravagance  that  might  fly  into  his  Head  : 
"  That  admitting  this  Benefit  might  be  some  little 
"  Loss  to  us,  yet  to  break  with  him  upon  it  could  not 
"  but  be  ten  times  of  worse  Consequence,  than  our 
"  overlooking  his  disagreeable  manner  of  making  the 
"  Demand  upon  us." 

Though  I  found  this  had  made  Dogget  drop  the 
Severity  of  his  Features,  yet  he  endeavoured  still  to 
seem  uneasy,  by  his  starting  a  new  Objection,  which 

1  Genest's  record  gives  Wilks  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
different  characters,  Dogget  only  about  sixty. 

II.  I 


124  THE    LIFE   OF 

was,  That  we  could  not  be  sure  even  of  the  Charge 
they  were  to  pay  for  it :  For  Wilks,  said  he,  you 
know,  will  go  any  Lengths  to  make  it  a  good  Day  to 
them,  and  may  whisper  the  Door-keepers  to  give 
them  the  Ready-money  taken,  and  return  the  Ac 
count  in  such  Tickets  only  as  these  Actors  have  not 
themselves  disposed  of.  To  make  this  easy  too,  I 
gave  him  my  Word  to  be  answerable  for  the  Charge 
my  self.  Upon  this  he  acceded,  and  accordingly  they 
had  the  Benefit-Play.  But  so  it  happen'd  (whether 
as  Dogget  had  suspected  or  not,  I  cannot  say)  the 
Ready-money  receiv'd  fell  Ten  Pounds  short  of  the 
Sum  they  had  agreed  to  pay  for  it.  Upon  the  Satur 
day  following,  (the  Day  on  which  we  constantly  made 
up  our  Accounts)  I  went  early  to  the  Office,  and 
inquired  if  the  Ten  Pounds  had  yet  been  paid  in  ; 
but  not  hearing  that  one  Shilling  of  it  had  found  its 
way  thither,  I  immediately  supply'd  the  Sum  out  of 
my  own  Pocket,  and  directed  the  Treasurer  to  charge 
it  received  from  me  in  the  deficient  Receipt  of  the 
Benefit- Day.  Here,  now,  it  might  be  imagined,  all 
this  silly  Matter  was  accommodated,  and  that  no  one 
could  so  properly  say  he  was  aggrieved  as  myself: 
But  let  us  observe  what  the  Consequence  says — why, 
the  Effect  of  my  insolent  interposing  honesty  prov'd 
to  be  this  :  That  the  Party  most  oblig'd  was  the  most 
offended ;  and  the  Offence  was  imputed  to  me  who 
had  been  Ten  Pounds  out  of  Pocket  to  be  able  to 
commit  it :  For  when  Wilks  found  in  the  Account 
how  spitefully  the  Ten  Pounds  had  been  paid  in,  he 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  125 

took  me  aside  into  the  adjacent  Stone- Passage,  and 
with  some  Warmth  ask'd  me,  What  I  meant  by  pre 
tending  to  pay  in  this  Ten  Pounds  ?  And  that,  for  his 
part,  he  did  not  understand  such  Treatment.  To 
which  I  reply'd,  That  tho'  I  was  amaz'd  at  his 
thinking  himself  ill-treated,  I  would  give  him  a  plain, 

justifiable  Answer. That  I  had  given  my  Word 

to  Dogget  the  Charge  of  the  Benefit  should  be  fully 
paid,  and  since  his  Friends  had  neglected  it,  I  found 
myself  bound  to  make  it  good.  Upon  which  he  told 
me  I  was  mistaken  if  I  thought  he  did  not  see  into 
the  bottom  of  all  this — That  Dogget  and  I  were 
always  endeavouring  to  thwart  and  make  him  uneasy ; 
but  he  was  able  to  stand  upon  his  own  Legs,  and  we 
should  find  he  would  not  be  used  so  :  That  he  took 
this  Payment  of  the  Ten  Pounds  as  an  Insult  upon 
him  and  a  Slight  to  his  Friends ;  but  rather  than 
suffer  it  he  would  tear  the  whole  Business  to  pieces  : 
That  I  knew  it  was  in  his  Power  to  do  it ;  and  if  he 
could  not  do  a  civil  thing  to  a  Friend  without  all 
this  senseless  Rout  about  it,  he  could  be  received  in 
Ireland  upon  his  own  Terms,  and  could  as  easily 
mend  a  Company  there  as  he  had  done  here  :  That 
if  he  were  gone,  Dogget  and  I  would  not  be  able  to 
keep  the  Doors  open  a  Week;  and,  by  G— ,  he 
would  not  be  a  Drudge  for  nothing.  As  I  knew  all 
this  was  but  the  Foam  of  the  high  Value  he  had  set 
upon  himself,  I  thought  it  not  amiss  to  seem  a  little 
silently  concerned,  for  the  helpless  Condition  to 
which  his  Resentment  of  the  Injury  I  have  related 


126  THE    LIFE    OF 

was  going  to  reduce  us  :  For  I  knew  I  had  a  Friend 
in  his  Heart  that,  if  I  gave  him  a  little  time  to  cool, 
would  soon  bring  him  to  Reason  :  The  sweet  Morsel 
of  a  Thousand  Pounds  a  Year  was  not  to  be  met 
with  at  every  Table,  and  might  tempt  a  nicer  Palate 
than  his  own  to  swallow  it,  when  he  was  not  out  of 
Humour.  This  I  knew  would  always  be  of  weight 
with  him,  when  the  best  Arguments  I  could  use 
would  be  of  none.  I  therefore  gave  him  no  farther 
Provocation  than  by  gravely  telling  him,  We  all  had 
it  in  our  Power  to  do  one  another  a  Mischief;  but  I 
believed  none  of  us  much  cared  to  hurt  ourselves ; 
that  if  he  was  not  of  my  Opinion,  it  would  not  be  in 
my  Power  to  hinder  whatever  new  Scheme  he  might 
resolve  upon ;  that  London  would  always  have  a 
Play-house,  and  I  should  have  some  Chance  in  it, 
tho'  it  might  not  be  so  good  as  it  had  been  ;  that  he 
might  be  sure,  if  I  had  thought  my  paying  in  the 
Ten  Pounds  could  have  been  so  ill  received,  I  should 
have  been  glad  to  have  saved  it.  Upon  this  he 
seem'd  to  mutter  something  to  himself,  and  walk'd 
off  as  if  he  had  a  mind  to  be  alone.  I  took  the 
Occasion,  and  returned  to  Dogget  to  finish  our  Ac 
counts.  In  about  six  Minutes  Wilks  came  in  to  us, 
not  in  the  best  Humour,  it  may  be  imagined ;  yet 
not  in  so  ill  a  one  but  that  he  took  his  Share  of  the 
Ten  Pounds  without  shewing  the  least  Contempt  of 
it ;  which,  had  he  been  proud  enough  to  have  refused, 
or  to  have  paid  in  himself,  I  might  have  thought  he 
intended  to  make  good  his  Menaces,  and  that  the 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  127 

Injury  I  had  done  him  would  never  have  been 
forgiven;  but  it  seems  we  had  different  ways  of 
thinking. 

Of  this  kind,  more  or  less  delightful,  was  the  Life 
I  led  with  this  impatient  Man  for  full  twenty  Years. 
Dogget,  as  we  shall  find,  could  not  hold  it  so  long ; 
but  as  he  had  more  Money  than  I,  he  had  not  Occa 
sion  for  so  much  Philosophy.  And  thus  were  our 
Theatrical  Affairs  frequently  disconcerted  by  this 
irascible  Commander,  this  Achilles  of  our  Confe 
deracy,  who,  I  may  be  bold  to  say,  came  very  little 
short  of  the  Spirit  Horace  gives  to  that  Hero  in  his — 

Impigery  iracundus,  inexorabilis,  acer.1 

This,  then,  is  one  of  those  Personal  Anecdotes  of  our 
Variances,  which,  as  our  publick  Performances  were 
affected  by  it,  could  not,  with  regard  to  Truth  and 
Justice,  be  omitted. 

From  this  time  to  the  Year  1712  my  Memory 
(from  which  Repository  alone  every  Article  of  what 
I  write  is  collected)  has  nothing  worth  mentioning, 
'till  the  first  acting  of  the  Tragedy  of  Cato?  As  to 
the  Play  itself,  it  might  be  enough  to  say,  That  the 
Author  and  the  Actors  had  their  different  Hopes  of 
Fame  and  Profit  amply  answer' d  by  the  Performance ; 
but  as  its  Success  was  attended  with  remarkable 
Consequences,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  trace  it  from 
its  several  Years  Concealment  in  the  Closet,  to  the 
Stage. 

1  Horace,  Ars  Poetica,  121. 

2  See  note  on  page  120. 


128  THE    LIFE    OF 

In  1 703,  nine  Years  before  it  was  acted,  I  had  the 
Pleasure  of  reading  the  first  four  Acts  (which  was 
all  of  it  then  written)  privately  with  Sir  Richard 
Steele:  It  may  be  needless  to  say  it  was  impossible 
to  lay  them  out  of  my  Hand  'till  I  had  gone  thro' 
them,  or  to  dwell  upon  the  Delight  his  Friendship  to 
the  Author  receiv'd  upon  my  being  so  warmly  pleas' d 
with  them  :  But  my  Satisfaction  was  as  highly  dis 
appointed  when  he  told  me,  Whatever  Spirit  Mr. 
Addison  had  shewn  in  his  writing  it,  he  doubted  he 
would  never  have  Courage  enough  to  let  his  Cato 
stand  the  Censure  of  an  English  Audience ;  that  it 
had  only  been  the  Amusement  of  his  leisure  Hours 
in  Italy,  and  was  never  intended  for  the  Stage.  This 
Poetical  Diffidence1  Sir  Richard  himself  spoke  of 
with  some  Concern,  and  in  the  Transport  of  his 
Imagination  could  not  help  saying,  Good  God !  what 
a  Part  would  Betterton  make  of  Cato  !  But  this 
was  seven  Years  before  Betterton  died,  and  when 
Booth  (who  afterwards  made  his  Fortune  by  acting 
it)  was  in  his  Theatrical  Minority.  In  the  latter  end 
of  Queen  Annes  Reign,  when  our  National  Politicks 
had  changed  Hands,  the  Friends  of  Mr.  Addison 
then  thought  it  a  proper  time  to  animate  the  Publick 
with  the  Sentiments  of  Cato ;  in  a  word,  their  Im 
portunities  were  too  warm  to  be  resisted  ;  and  it  was 
no  sooner  finish'd  than  hurried  to  the  Stage,  in  April, 


1  Johnson  (Life  of  Addison)  terms  this  "  the  despicable  cant  of 
literary  modesty." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  I2Q 

I7I2,1  at  a  time  when  three  Days  a  Week  were 
usually  appointed  for  the  Benefit  Plays  of  particular 
Actors :  But  a  Work  of  that  critical  Importance  was 
to  make  its  way  through  all  private  Considerations  ; 
nor  could  it  possibly  give  place  to  a  Custom,  which 
the  Breach  of  could  very  little  prejudice  the  Benefits, 
that  on  so  unavoidable  an  Occasion  were  (in  part, 
tho'  not  wholly)  postpon'd ;  it  was  therefore  (Mondays 
excepted)  acted  every  Day  for  a  Month  to  constantly 
crowded  Houses.2  As  the  Author  had  made  us  a 
Present  of  whatever  Profits  he  might  have  claim'd 
from  it,  we  thought  our  selves  oblig'd  to  spare  no 
Cost  in  the  proper  Decorations  of  it.  Its  coming  so 
late  in  the  Season  to  the  Stage  prov'd  of  particular 
Advantage  to  the  sharing  Actors,  because  the  Har 
vest  of  our  annual  Gains  was  generally  over  before 
the  middle  of  March,  many  select  Audiences  being 
then  usually  reserv'd  in  favour  to  the  Benefits  of 
private  Actors  ;  which  fixt  Engagements  naturally 
abated  the  Receipts  of  the  Days  before  and  after 
them  :  But  this  unexpected  Aftercrop  of  Cato  largely 

1  1 4th  April,  1713.     See  note  on  page  120. 

2  Mrs.  Oldfield,  Powell,  Mills,  Booth,  Pinkethman,  and  Mrs. 
Porter,  had  their  benefits  before  "  Cato  "  was  produced.    "  Cato  " 
was  then  acted  twenty  times — April  i4th  to  May  gth — that  is, 
every  evening  except  Monday  in  each  week,  as  Gibber  states. 
On  Monday  nights  the  benefits  continued — being  one  night  in  the 
week  instead  of  three.     Johnson,  Keen,  and  Mrs.  Bicknell  had 
their  benefits  during  the  run  of  "Cato,"  and  on  May  nth  the 
regular  benefit  performances  recommenced,  Mrs.  Rogers  taking 
her  benefit  on  that  night. 


I3O  THE    LIFE    OF 

supplied  to  us  those  Deficiencies,  and  was  almost 
equal  to  two  fruitful  Seasons  in  the  same  Year  ;  at 
the  Close  of  which  the  three  menaging  Actors  found 
themselves  each  a  Gainer  of  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  Pounds  :  But  to  return  to  the  first  Reception  of 
this  Play  from  the  Publick. 

Although  Cato  seems  plainly  written  upon  what 
are  called  Whig  Principles,  yet  the  Torys  of  that 
time  had  Sense  enough  not  to  take  it  as  the  least 
Reflection  upon  their  Administration  ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  they  seem'd  to  brandish  and  vaunt  their 
Approbation  of  every  Sentiment  in  favour  of  Liberty, 
which,  by  a  publick  Act  of  their  Generosity,  was 
carried  so  high,  that  one  Day,  while  the  Play  was 
acting,  they  collected  fifty  Guineas  in  the  Boxes, 
and  made  a  Present  of  them  to  Booth,  with  this 
Compliment For  his  honest  Opposition  to  a  per 
petual  Dictator,  and  his  dying  so  bravely  in  the  Cause 
of  Liberty :  What  was  insinuated  by  any  Part  of 
these  Words  is  not  my  Affair;1  but  so  publick  a 
Reward  had  the  Appearance  of  a  laudable  Spirit, 
which  only  such  a  Play  as  Cato  could  have  inspired ; 
nor  could  Booth  be  blam'd  if,  upon  so  particular  a 
Distinction  of  his  Merit,  he  began  himself  to  set 
more  Value  upon  it :  How  far  he  might  carry  it,  in 
making  use  of  the  Favour  he  stood  in  with  a  certain 
Nobleman2  then  in  Power  at  Court,  was  not  difficult 

1  The  Duke  of  Marlborough  is  the  person  pointed  at. 

2  Theo.  Gibber  ("  Life  of  Booth,"  p.  6)  says  that  Booth  in  his 
early  days  as  an  actor  became  intimate  with  Lord  Bolingbroke, 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  13! 

to  penetrate,  and  indeed  ought  always  to  have 
been  expected  by  the  menaging  Actors  :  For  which 
of  them  (making  the  Case  every  way  his  own)  could 
with  such  Advantages  have  contented  himself  in  the 
humble  Station  of  an  hired  Actor  ?  But  let  us  see 
how  the  Menagers  stood  severally  affected  upon  this 
Occasion. 

Dogget,  who  expected,  though  he  fear'd  not,  the 
Attempt  of  what  after  happen'd,  imagin'd  he  had 
thought  of  an  Expedient  to  prevent  it :  And  to  cover 
his  Design  with  all  the  Art  of  a  Statesman,  he  in 
sinuated  to  us  (for  he  was  a  staunch  Whig]  that  this 
Present  of  fifty  Guineas  was  a  sort  of  a  Tory 
Triumph  which  they  had  no  Pretence  to ;  and  that 
for  his  Part  he  could  not  bear  that  so  redoubted  a 
Champion  for  Liberty  as  Cato  should  be  bought  off 
to  the  Cause  of  a  Contrary  Party :  He  therefore,  in 
the  seeming  Zeal  of  his  Heart,  proposed  that  the 
Menagers  themselves  should  make  the  same  Present 
to  Booth  which  had  been  made  him  from  the  Boxes 
the  Day  before.  This,  he  said,  would  recommend 
the  Equality  and  liberal  Spirit  of  our  Menagement 
to  the  Town,  and  might  be  a  Means  to  secure 
Booth  more  firmly  in  our  Interest,  it  never  having 
been  known  that  the  Skill  of  the  best  Actor  had 
receiv'd  so  round  a  Reward  or  Gratuity  in  one  Day 

and  that  this  "  was  of  eminent  advantage  to  Mr.  Booth, — when, 
on  his  great  Success  in  the  Part  of  CATO  (of  which  he  was  the 
original  Actor)  my  Lord's  Interest  (then  Secretary  of  State)  estab 
lished  him  as  a  Manager  of  the  Theatre." 


132  THE    LIFE    OF 

before.  Wilks,  who  wanted  nothing  but  Abilities  to 
be  as  cunning  as  Dogget,  was  so  charm'd  with  the 
Proposal  that  he  long'd  that  Moment  to  make  Booth 
the  Present  with  his  own  Hands  ;  and  though  he 
knew  he  had  no  Right  to  do  it  without  my  Consent, 
had  no  Patience  to  ask  it ;  upon  which  I  turned  to 
Dogget  with  a  cold  Smile,  and  told  him,  that  if  Booth 
could  be  purchas'd  at  so  cheap  a  Rate,  it  would  be 
one  of  the  best  Proofs  of  his  Oeconomy  we  had  ever 
been  beholden  to  :  I  therefore  desired  we  might  have 
a  little  Patience  ;  that  our  doing  it  too  hastily  might 
be  only  making  sure  of  an  Occasion  to  throw  the 
fifty  Guineas  away  ;  for  if  we  should  be  obliged  to 
do  better  for  him,  we  could  never  expect  that  Booth 
would  think  himself  bound  in  Honour  to  refund 
them.  This  seem'd  so  absurd  an  Argument  to  Wilks 
that  he  began,  with  his  usual  Freedom  of  Speech,  to 
treat  it  as  a  pitiful  Evasion  of  their  intended  Gene 
rosity  :  But  Dogget,  who  was  not  so  wide  of  my 
Meaning,  clapping  his  Hand  upon  mine,  said,  with 
an  Air  of  Security,  O  !  don't  trouble  yourself !  there 
must  be  two  Words  to  that  Bargain  ;  let  me  alone  to 
menage  that  Matter.  Wilks,  upon  this  dark  Dis 
course,  grew  uneasy,  as  if  there  were  some  Secret 
between  us  that  he  was  to  be  left  out  of.  There 
fore,  to  avoid  the  Shock  of  his  Intemperance,  I  was 
reduc'd  to  tell  him  that  it  was  my  Opinion,  that  Booth 
would  never  be  made  easy  by  any  thing  we  could  do 
for  him,  'till  he  had  a  Share  in  the  Profits  and 
Menagement ;  and  that,  as  he  did  not  want  Friends 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  133 

to  assist  him,  whatever  his  Merit  might  be  before, 
every  one  would  think,  since  his  acting  of  Cato,  he 
had  now  enough  to  back  his  Pretensions  to  it.  To 
which  Dogget  reply'd,  that  nobody  could  think  his 
Merit  was  slighted  by  so  handsome  a  Present  as 
fifty  Guineas ;  and  that,  for  his  farther  Pretensions, 
whatever  the  License  might  avail,  our  Property  of 
House,  Scenes,  and  Cloaths  were  our  own,  and  not 
in  the  Power  of  the  Crown  to  dispose  of.  To  con 
clude,  my  Objections  that  the  Money  would  be  only 
thrown  away,  &c.  were  over-rul'd,  and  the  same 
Night  Booth  had  the  fifty  Guineas,  which  he  receiv'd 
with  a  Thankfulness  that  made  Wilks  and  Dogget 
perfectly  easy,  insomuch  that  they  seem'd  for  some 
time  to  triumph  in  their  Conduct,  and  often  endea 
vour' d  to  laugh  my  Jealousy  out  of  Countenance  : 
But  in  the  following  Winter  the  Game  happen'd  to 
take  a  different  Turn ;  and  then,  if  it  had  been  a 
laughing  Matter,  I  had  as  strong  an  Occasion  to 
smile  at  their  former  Security.  But  before  I  make 
an  End  of  this  Matter,  I  cannot  pass  over  the  good 
Fortune  of  the  Company  that  followed  us  to  the  Act 
at  Oxford,  which  was  held  in  the  intervening  Summer: 
Perhaps,  too,  a  short  View  of  the  Stage  in  that  dif 
ferent  Situation  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the 
Curious. 

After  the  Restoration  of  King  Charles,  before  the 
Cavalier  and  Round-head  Parties,  under  their  new 
Denomination  of  Whig  and  Tory,  began  again  to  be 
politically  troublesome,  publick  Acts  at  Oxford  (as  I 


134  THE  LIFE  OF 

find  by  the  Date  of  several  Prologues  written  by 
Dry  den1  for  Hart  on  those  Occasions)  had  been 
more  frequently  held  than  in  later  Reigns.  Whether 
the  same  Party-Dissentions  may  have  occasion'd  the 
Discontinuance  of  them,  is  a  Speculation  not  necessary 
to  be  enter' d  into.  But  these  Academical  Jubilees 
have  usually  been  look'd  upon  as  a  kind  of  congratu 
latory  Compliment  to  the  Accession  of  every  new 
Prince  to  the  Throne,  and  generally,  as  such,  have 
attended  them.  King  James?  notwithstanding  his 
Religion,  had  the  Honour  of  it ;  at  which  the  Players, 
as  usual,  assisted.  This  I  have  only  mention'd  to. 
give  the  Reader  a  Theatrical  Anecdote  of  a  Liberty 
which  Tony  Leigh  the  Comedian  took  with  the 
Character  of  the  well  known  Obadiah  Walker?  then 
Head  of  University  College ',  who  in  that  Prince's 
Reign  had  turn'd  Roman  Catholick:  The  Circum 
stance  is  this. 

In  the  latter  End  of  the  Comedy  call'd  the  Com 
mittee,  Leigh,  who  acted  the  Part  of  Teague,  hauling 
in  Obadiah  with  an  Halter  about  his  Neck,  whom, 
according  to  his  written  Part,  he  was  to  threaten  to 
hang  for  no  better  Reason  than  his  refusing  to  drink 

1  There  are  five  Prologues  by  Dryden  spoken  at  Oxford ;  one 
in  1674,  and  the  others  probably  about  1681. 

2  James  II. 

3  Obadiah  Walker,  born  1616,  died  1699,  is  famous  only  for  the 
change  of  religion  to  which  Gibber's  anecdote  refers.     Macaulay 
("  History,"    1858,  ii.  85-86)  relates  the  story  of  his  perversion, 
and  in  the  same  volume,  page  283,  refers  to  the  incident  here 
told  by  Gibber. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  135 

the  King's  Health,  (but  here  LeigK)  to  justify  his 
Purpose  with  a  stronger  Provocation,  put  himself 
into  a  more  than  ordinary  Heat  with  his  Captive 
Obadiah,  which  having  heightened  his  Master's  Cu 
riosity  to  know  what  Obadiah  had  done  to  deserve 
such  Usage,  Leigh,  folding  his  Arms,  with  a  ridicu 
lous  Stare  of  Astonishment,  reply'd — Upon  my 
Shoule,  he  has  shange  his  Religion,  As  the  Merit  of 
this  Jest  lay  chiefly  in  the  Auditors'  sudden  Applica 
tion  of  it  to  the  Obadiah  of  Oxford,  it  was  received 
with  all  the  Triumph  of  Applause  which  the  Zeal  of 
a  different  Religion  could  inspire.  But  Leigh  was 
given  to  understand  that  the  King  was  highly  dis 
pleased  at  it,  inasmuch  as  it  had  shewn  him  that  the 
University  was  in  a  Temper  to  make  a  Jest  of  his 
Proselyte.  But  to  return  to  the  Conduct  of  our  own 
Affairs  there  in  I7I2.1 

It  had  been  a  Custom  for  the  Comedians  while 
at  Oxford  to  act  twice  a  Day ;  the  first  Play  ending 
every  Morning  before  the  College  Hours  of  dining, 
and  the  other  never  to  break  into  the  time  of  shutting 
their  Gates  in  the  Evening.  This  extraordinary 
Labour  gave  all  the  hired  Actors  a  Title  to  double 
Pay,  which,  at  the  Act  in  King  Williams  Time,  I 
had  myself  accordingly  received  there.  But  the  pre 
sent  Menagers  considering  that,  by  acting  only  once 
a  Day,  their  Spirits  might  be  fresher  for  every  single 

1  1713.  The  performance  on  23rd  June,  1713,  was  announced 
as  the  last  that  season,  as  the  company  were  obliged  to  go  imme 
diately  to  Oxford. 


136  THE    LIFE    OF 

Performance,  and  that  by  this  Means  they  might  be 
able  to  fill  up  the  Term  of  their  Residence,  without 
the  Repetition  of  their  best  and  strongest  Plays ;  and 
as  their  Theatre  was  contrived  to  hold  a  full  third 
more  than  the  usual  Form  of  it  had  done,  one  House 
well  fill'd  might  answer  the  Profits  of  two  but  mode 
rately  taken  up:  Being  enabled,  too,  by  their  late 
Success  at  London,  to  make  the  Journey  pleasant 
and  profitable  to  the  rest  of  their  Society,  they  re 
solved  to  continue  to  them  their  double  Pay,  not 
withstanding  this  new  Abatement  of  half  their 
Labour.  This  Conduct  of  the  Menagers  more  than 
answer' d  their  Intention,  which  was  rather  to  get 
nothing  themselves  than  not  let  their  Fraternity  be 
the  better  for  the  Expedition.  Thus  they  laid  an 
Obligation  upon  their  Company,  and  were  them 
selves  considerably,  though  unexpected,  Gainers  by 
it.  But  my  chief  Reason  for  bringing  the  Reader 
to  Oxford 'was  to  shew  the  different  Taste  of  Plays 
there  from  that  which  prevail'd  at  London.  A  great 
deal  of  that  false,  flashy  Wit  and  forc'd  Humour, 
which  had  been  the  Delight  of  our  Metropolitan 
Multitude,  was  only  rated  there  at  its  bare  intrinsick 
Value ; l  Applause  was  not  to  be  purchased  there 

1  Dryden  writes,  in  one  of  his  Prologues  (about  1681),  to  the 
University  of  Oxford : — 

"  When  our  fop  gallants,  or  our  city  folly, 

Clap  over-loud,  it  makes  us  melancholy : 

We  doubt  that  scene  which  does  their  wonder  raise, 

And,  for  their  ignorance,  contemn  their  praise. 

Judge,  then,  if  we  who  act,  and  they  who  write, 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  137 

but  by  the  true  Sterling,  the  Sal  Atticum  of  a 
Genius,  unless  where  the  Skill  of  the  Actor  pass'd  it 
upon  them  with  some  extraordinary  Strokes  of 
Nature.  Shakespear  and  Johnson  had  there  a  sort 
of  classical  Authority;  for  whose  masterly  Scenes 
they  seem'd  to  have  as  implicit  a  Reverence  as  for 
merly  for  the  Ethicks  of  Aristotle  ;  and  were  as 
incapable  of  allowing  Moderns  to  be  their  Compe 
titors,  as  of  changing  their  Academical  Habits  for 
gaudy  Colours  or  Embroidery.  Whatever  Merit, 
therefore,  some  few  of  our  more  politely-written 
Comedies  might  pretend  to,  they  had  not  the  same 
Effect  upon  the  Imagination  there,  nor  were  received 
with  that  extraordinary  Applause  they  had  met  with 
from  the  People  of  Mode  and  Pleasure  in  London, 
whose  vain  Accomplishments  did  not  dislike  them 
selves  in  the  Glass  that  was  held  to  them :  The 
elegant  Follies  of  higher  Life  were  not  at  Oxford 
among  their  Acquaintance,  and  consequently  might 
not  be  so  good  Company  to  a  learned  Audience  as 
Nature,  in  her  plain  Dress  and  unornamented,  in  her 
Pursuits  and  Inclinations  seem'd  to  be. 

The    only   distinguished    Merit    allow'd    to    any 
modern  Writer  *  was  to  the  Author  of  Catoy  which 

Should  not  be  proud  of  giving  you  delight. 

London  likes  grossly ;  but  this  nicer  pit 

Examines,  fathoms,  all  the  depths  of  wit; 

The  ready  finger  lays  on  every  blot ; 

Knows  what  should  justly  please,  and  what  should  not." 

1  In  a  Prologue  by  Dryden,  spoken  by  Hart  in  1674,  at  Oxford, 
the  poet  says  : — 


138  THE    LIFE    OF 

Play  being  the  Flower  of  a  Plant  raised  in  that 
learned  Garden,  (for  there  Mr.  Addison  had  his 
Education)  what  favour  may  we  not  suppose  was  due 
to  him  from  an  Audience  of  Brethren,  who  from 
that  local  Relation  to  him  might  naturally  have  a 
warmer  Pleasure  in  their  Benevolence  to  his  Fame  ? 
But  not  to  give  more  Weight  to  this  imaginary  Cir 
cumstance  than  it  may  bear,  the  Fact  was,  that  on 
our  first  Day  of  acting  it  our  House  was  in  a  manner 
invested,  and  Entrance  demanded  by  twelve  a  Clock 
at  Noon,  and  before  one  it  was  not  wide  enough  for 
many  who  came  too  late  for  Places.  The  same 
Crowds  continued  for  three  Days  together,  (an 
uncommon  Curiosity  in  that  Place)  and  the  Death  of 
Cato  triumph'd  over  the  Injuries  of  Ctzsar  every 
where.  To  conclude,  our  Reception  at  Oxford,  what 
ever  our  Merit  might  be,  exceeded  our  Expectation. 
At  our  taking  Leave  we  had  the  Thanks  of  the 
Vice-Chancellor  for  the  Decency  and  Order  observ'd 
by  our  whole  Society,  an  Honour  which  had  not 
always  been  paid  upon  the  same  Occasions ;  for  at 

"  None  of  our  living  poets  dare  appear ; 
For  Muses  so  severe  are  worshipped  here, 
That,  conscious  of  their  faults,  they  shun  the  eye, 
And,  as  profane,  from  sacred  places  fly, 
Rather  than  see  the  offended  God,  and  die." 

Malone  (Dryden's  Prose  Works,  vol.  i.,  part  ii.,  p.  13)  gives 
a  letter  from  Dryden  to  Lord  Rochester,  in  which  he  says : 
"Your  Lordship  will  judge  [from  the  success  of  these  Prologues, 
&c.]  how  easy  'tis  to  pass  anything  upon  an  University,  and  how 
gross  flattery  the  learned  will  endure." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  139 

the  Act  in  King  Williams  Time  I  remember  some 
Pranks  of  a  different  Nature  had  been  complain'd  of. 
Our  Receipts  had  not  only  enabled  us  (as  I  have 
observ'd)  to  double  the  Pay  of  every  Actor,  but  to 
afford  out  of  them  towards  the  Repair  of  St.  Marys 
Church  the  Contribution  of  fifty  Pounds  :  Besides 
which,  each  of  the  three  Menagers  had  to  his  respec 
tive  Share,  clear  of  all  Charges,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  more  for  his  one  and  twenty  Day's  Labour, 
which  being  added  to  his  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty 
shared  in  the  Winter  preceding,  amounted  in  the 
whole  to  fifteen  hundred,  the  greatest  Sum  ever 
known  to  have  been  shared  in  one  Year  to  that 
Time  :  And  to  the  Honour  of  our  Auditors  here  and 
elsewhere  be  it  spoken,  all  this  was  rais'd  without  the 
Aid  of  those  barbarous  Entertainments  with  which, 
some  few  Years  after  (upon  the  Re-establishment  of 
two  contending  Companies)  we  were  forc'd  to  dis 
grace  the  Stage  to  support  it. 

This,  therefore,  is  that  remarkable  Period  when 
the  Stage,  during  my  Time  upon  it,  was  the  least 
reproachable :  And  it  may  be  worth  the  publick 
Observation  (if  any  thing  I  have  said  of  it  can  be 
so)  that  One  Stage  may,  as  I  have  prov'd  it  has  done, 
very  laudably  support  it  self  by  such  Spectacles  only 
as  are  fit  to  delight  a  sensible  People  ;  but  the  equal 
Prosperity  of  Two  Stages  has  always  been  of  a  very 
short  Duration.  If  therefore  the  Publick  should  ever 
recover  into  the  true  Taste  of  that  Time,  and  stick 
to  it,  the  Stage  must  come  into  it,  or  starve  \  as, 

II.  K 


I4O  THE    LIFE    OF 

whenever  the  general  Taste  is  vulgar,  the  Stage  must 

come  down  to  it  to  live. But  I  ask  Pardon  of 

the  Multitude,  who,  in  all  Regulations  of  the  Stage, 
may  expect  to  be  a  little  indulg'd  in  what  they  like : 
If  therefore  they  will  have  a  May-pole,  why,  the 
Players  must  give  them  a  May-pole  ;  but  I  only  speak 
in  case  they  should  keep  an  old  Custom  of  changing 
their  Minds,  and  by  their  Privilege  of  being  in  the 
wrong,  should  take  a  Fancy,  by  way  of  Variety,  of 

being  in  the  right Then,  in  such  a  Case,  what  I 

have  said  may  appear  to  have  been  no  intended  Design 
against  their  Liberty  of  judging  for  themselves. 

After  our  Return  from  Oxford,  Booth  was  at  full 
Leisure  to  solicit  his  Admission  to  a  Share  in  the 
Menagement,1  in  which  he  succeeded  about  the 
Beginning  of  the  following  Winter :  Accordingly  a 
new  License  (recalling  all  former  Licenses)  was 
issued,  wherein  Booths  Name  was  added  to  those  of 
the  other  Menagers.2  But  still  there  was  a  Difficulty 
in  his  Qualification  to  be  adjusted ;  what  Considera- 

1  Theo.  Gibber  ("  Life  of  Booth,"  p.  7)  says  that  Colley  Gibber 
and  Booth  "  used  frequently  to  set  out,  after  Play  (in  the  Month 
of  May)  to  Windsor,  where  the  Court  then  was,  to  push  their 
different  Interests."  Chetwood  ("  History,"  p.  93)  states  that  the 
other  Patentees  "  to  prevent  his  sollicking  his  Patrons  at  Court, 
then  at  Windsor,  gave  out  Plays  every  Night,  where  Mr.  Booth 
had  a  principal  Part.  Notwithstanding  this  Step,  he  had  a  Chariot 
and  Six  of  a  Nobleman's  waiting  for  him  at  the  End  of  every  Play, 
that  whipt  him  the  twenty  Miles  in  three  Hours,  and  brought  him 
back  to  the  Business  of  the  Theatre  the  next  Night." 

a  The  new  Licence  was  dated  nth  November,  1713.  Dogget's 
name  was  of  course  included  as  well  as  Booth's. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  141 

tion  he  should  allow  for  an  equal  Title  to  our  Stock 
of  Cloaths,  Scenes,  &c.  without  which  the  License 
was  of  no  more  use  than  the  Stock  was  without  the 
License ;  or,  at  least,  if  there  were  any  Difference, 
the  former  Menagers  seem'd  to  have  the  Advantage 
in  it ;  the  Stock  being  intirely  theirs,  and  three  Parts 
in  four  of  the  License  ;  for  Collier,  though  now  but 
a  fifth  Menager,  still  insisted  on  his  former  Appoint 
ment  of  7oo/.  a  Year,  which  in  Equity  ought  cer 
tainly  to  have  been  proportionably  abated :  But 
Court-Favour  was  not  always  measur'd  by  that 
Yard ;  Colliers  Matter  was  soon  out  of  the  Ques 
tion  ;  his  Pretensions  were  too  visible  to  be  con 
tested  ;  but  the  Affair  of  Booth  was  not  so  clear  a 
Point :  The  Lord  Chamberlain,  therefore,  only  re 
commended  it  to  be  adjusted  among  our  selves  ; 
which,  to  say  the  Truth,  at  that  Time  was  a  greater 
Indulgence  than  I  expected.  Let  us  see,  then,  how 
this  critical  Case  was  handled. 

Wilks  was  of  Opinion,  that  to  set  a  good  round 
Value  upon  our  Stock,  was  the  only  way  to  come 
near  an  Equivalent  for  the  Diminution  of  our  Shares, 
which  the  Admission  of  Booth  must  occasion  :  But 
Dogget  insisted  that  he  had  no  mind  to  dispose  of 
any  Part  of  his  Property,  and  therefore  would  set  no 
Price  upon  it  at  all.  Though  I  allow'd  that  Both 
these  Opinions  might  be  grounded  on  a  good  deal 
of  Equity,  yet  I  was  not  sure  that  either  of  them  was 
practicable  ;  and  therefore  told  them,  that  when  they 
could  Both  agree  which  of  them  could  be  made  so, 


142  THE   LIFE   OF 

they  might  rely  on  my  Consent  in  any  Shape.     In 
the  mean  time  I  desired  they  would  consider,  that 
as  our  License  subsisted  only  during  Pleasure,  we 
could  not  pretend  that  the  Queen  might  not  recall  or 
alter  it :  But  that  to  speak  out,  without  mincing  the 
matter  on  either  Side,  the  Truth  was  plainly  this  : 
That  Booth  had  a  manifest  Merit  as  an  Actor ;  and  as 
he  was  not  supposed  to  be  a  Whig,  it  was  as  evident 
that  a  good  deal  for  that  Reason  a  Secretary  of  State 
had  taken  him  into  his  Protection,  which  I  was  afraid 
the  weak  Pretence  of  our  invaded  Property  would 
not  be  able  to  contend  with :  That  his  having  sig- 
naliz'd  himself  in  the  Character  of  Cato  (whose  Prin 
ciples  the   Tories   had  affected  to  have  taken  into 
their  own  Possession)  was  a  very  popular  Pretence  of 
making  him  free  of  the  Stage,  by  advancing  him  to 
the  Profits  of  it.     And,  as  we  had  seen  that  the  Stage 
was  frequently  treated  as  if  it  was  not  suppos'd  to 
have  any  Property  at  all,  this  Favour  intended  to 
Booth  was  thought  a  right  Occasion  to  avow  that 
Opinion  by  disposing  of  its  Property  at  Pleasure  : 
But  be  that  as  it  might,  I  own'd  it  was  not  so  much 
my  Apprehensions  of  what  the  Court  might  do,  that 
sway'd  me  into  an  Accommodation  with  Booth,  as 
what  the  Town,  (in  whose  Favour  he  now  apparently 
stood)  might  think  ought  to  be  done :  That  there 
might  be  more  danger  in  contesting  their  arbitrary 
Will  and  Pleasure  than  in  disputing  this  less  terrible 
Strain  of  the  Prerogative.     That  if  Booth  were  only 
impos'd  upon  us  from  his  Merit  to  the  Court,  we  were 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  143 

then  in  the  Condition  of  other  Subjects :  Then, 
indeed,  Law,  Right,  and  Possession  might  have  a 
tolerable  Tug  for  our  Property  :  But  as  the  Town 
would  always  look  upon  his  Merit  to  them  in  a 
stronger  Light,  and  be  Judges  of  it  themselves,  it 
would  be  a  weak  and  idle  Endeavour  in  us  not  to 
sail  with  the  Stream,  when  we  might  possibly  make  a 
Merit  of  our  cheerfully  admitting  him  :  That  though 
his  former  Opposition  to  our  Interest  might,  between 
Man  and  Man,  a  good  deal  justify  our  not  making  an 
earlier  Friend  of  him ;  yet  that  was  a  Disobligation 
out  of  the  Town's  Regard,  and  consequently  would 
be  of  no  weight  against  so  approv'd  an  Actor's  being 
preferr'd.  But  all  this  notwithstanding,  if  they  could 
both  agree  in  a  different  Opinion,  I  would,  at  the 
Hazard  of  any  Consequence,  be  guided  by  it. 

Here,  now,  will  be  shewn  another  Instance  of  our 
different  Tempers  :  Dogget  (who,  in  all  Matters  that 
concern'd  our  common  Weal  and  Interest,  little  re 
garded  our  Opinion,  and  even  to  an  Obstinacy  walk'd 
by  his  own)  look'd  only  out  of  Humour  at  what  I  had 
said,  and,  without  thinking  himself  oblig'd  to  give 
any  Reason  for  it,  declar'd  he  would  maintain  his 
Property.  Wilks  (who,  upon  the  same  Occasions, 
was  as  remarkably  ductile,  as  when  his  Superiority 
on  the  Stage  was  in  question  he  was  assuming  and 
intractable)  said,  for  his  Part,  provided  our  Business 
of  acting  was  not  interrupted,  he  did  not  care  what 
we  did  :  But,  in  short,  he  was  for  playing  on,  come 
what  would  of  it.  This  last  Part  of  his  Declaration 


144  THE  LIFE  OF 

I  did  not  dislike,  and  therefore  I  desir'd  we  might 
all  enter  into  an  immediate  Treaty  with  Booth,  upon 
the  Terms  of  his  Admission.  Dogget  still  sullenly 
reply'd,  that  he  had  no  Occasion  to  enter  into  any 
Treaty.  Wilks  then,  to  soften  him,  propos'd  that,  if 
I  liked  it,  Dogget  might  undertake  it  himself.  I 
agreed.  No !  he  would  not  be  concern'd  in  it.  I  then 
offer' d  the  same  Trust  to  Wilks,  if  Dogget  approv'd 
of  it.  Wilks  said  he  was  not  good  at  making  of 
Bargains,  but  if  I  was  willing,  he  would  rather  leave 
it  to  me.  Dogget  at  this  rose  up  and  said,  we  might 
both  do  as  we  pleas'd,  but  that  nothing  but  the  Law 
should  make  him  part  with  his  Property — and  so 
went  out  of  the  Room.  After  which  he  never  came 
among  us  more,  either  as  an  Actor  or  Menager.1 

By  his  having  in  this  abrupt  manner  abdicated  his 
Post  in  our  Government,  what  he  left  of  it  naturally 
devolv'd  upon  Wilks  and  myself.  However,  this 
did  not  so  much  distress  our  Affair  as  I  have  Reason 
to  believe  Dogget  thought  it  would  :  For  though  by 
our  Indentures  tripartite  we  could  not  dispose  of  his 
Property  without  his  Consent ;  Yet  those  Inden 
tures  could  not  oblige  us  to  fast  because  he  had  no 
Appetite ;  and  if  the  Mill  did  not  grind,  we  could 
have  no  Bread :  We  therefore  determin'd,  at  any 
Hazard,  to  keep  our  Business  still  going,  and  that 
our  safest  way  would  be  to  make  the  best  Bargain 
we  could  with  Booth ;  one  Article  of  which  was  to 
be,  That  Booth  should  stand  equally  answerable  with 
1  This  must  have  been  in  November,  1713. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  145 

us  to  Dogget  for  the  Consequence  :  To  which  Booth 
made  no  Objection,  and  the  rest  of  his  Agreement 
was  to  allow  us  Six  Hundred  Pounds  for  his  Share 
in  our  Property,  which  was  to  be  paid  by  such  Sums 
as  should  arise  from  half  his  Profits  of  Acting,  'till 
the  whole  was  discharg'd  :  Yet  so  cautious  were  we 
in  this  Affair,  that  this  Agreement  was  only  Verbal 
on  our  Part,  tho'  written  and  sign'd  by  Booth  as 
what  intirely  contented  him :  However,  Bond  and 
Judgment  could  not  have  made  it  more  secure  to 
him ;  for  he  had  his  Share,  and  was  able  to  discharge 
the  Incumbrance  upon  it  by  his  Income  of  that  Year 
only.  Let  us  see  what  Dogget  did  in  this  Affair  after 
he  had  left  us. 

Might  it  not  be  imagin'd  that  Wilks  and  Myself, 
by  having  made  this  Matter  easy  to  Booth,  should 
have  deserv'd  the  Approbation  at  least,  if  not  the 
Favour  of  the  Court  that  had  exerted  so  much  Power 
to  prefer  him?  But  shall  I  be  believed  when  I 
affirm  that  Dogget,  who  had  so  strongly  oppos'd  the 
Court  in  his  Admission  to  a  Share,  was  very  near 
getting  the  better  of  us  both  upon  that  Account,  and 
for  some  time  appeared  to  have  more  Favour  there 
than  either  of  us  ?  Let  me  tell  out  my  Story,  and 
then  think  what  you  please  of  it. 

Dogget,  who  was  equally  oblig'd  with  us  to  act 
upon  the  Stage,  as  to  assist  in  the  Menagement  of 
it,  tho'  he  had  refus'd  to  do  either,  still  demanded  of 
us  his  whole  Share  of  the  Profits,  without  considering 
what  Part  of  them  Booth  might  pretend  to  from  our 


146  THE    LIFE    OF 

late  Concessions.  After  many  fruitless  Endeavours 
to  bring  him  back  to  us,  Booth  join'd  with  us  in 
making  him  an  Offer  of  half  a  Share  if  he  had  a 
mind  totally  to  quit  the  Stage,  and  make  it  a  Sine 
cure.  No  !  he  wanted  the  whole,  and  to  sit  still 
himself,  while  we  (if  we  pleased)  might  work  for  him 
or  let  it  alone,  and  none  of  us  all,  neither  he  nor  we, 
be  the  better  for  it.  What  we  imagin'd  encouraged 
him  to  hold  us  at  this  short  Defiance  was,  that  he 
had  laid  up  enough  to  live  upon  without  the  Stage 
(for  he  was  one  of  those  close  Oeconomists  whom 
Prodigals  call  a  Miser)  and  therefore,  partly  from  an 
Inclination  as  an  invincible  Whig  to  signalize  him 
self  in  defence  of  his  Property,  and  as  much  pre 
suming  that  our  Necessities  would  oblige  us  to  come 
to  his  own  Terms,  he  was  determin'd  (even  against 
the  Opinion  of  his  Friends)  to  make  no  other  Peace 
with  us.  But  not  being  able  by  this  inflexible  Per 
severance  to  have  his  wicked  Will  of  us,  he  was 
resolv'd  to  go  to  the  Fountain-head  of  his  own 
Distress,  and  try  if  from  thence  he  could  turn  the 
Current  against  us.  He  appealed  to  the  Vice-Cham 
berlain,1  to  whose  Direction  the  adjusting  of  all  these 
Theatrical  Difficulties  was  then  committed :  But 
there,  I  dare  say,  the  Reader  does  not  expect  he 
should  meet  with  much  Favour :  However,  be  that 
as  it  may  ;  for  whether  any  regard  was  had  to  his 
having  some  Thousands  in  his  Pocket;  or  that  he 
was  consider' d  as  a  Man  who  would  or  could  make 
1  The  Right  Hon.  Thomas  Coke. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  147 

more  Noise  in  the  Matter  than  Courtiers  might  care 
for  :  Or  what  Charms,  Spells,  or  Conjurations  he 
might  make  use  of,  is  all  Darkness  to  me  ;  yet  so  it 
was,  he  one  way  or  other  play'd  his  part  so  well,  that 
in  a  few  Days  after  we  received  an  Order  from  the 
Vice-Chamberlain,  positively  commanding  us  to  pay 
Dogget  his  whole  Share,  notwithstanding  we  had 
complain' d  before  of  his  having  withdrawn  himself 
from  acting  on  the  Stage,  and  from  the  Menagement 
of  it.  This  I  thought  was  a  dainty  Distinction, 
indeed  !  that  Doggefs  Defiance  of  the  Commands  in 
favour  of  Booth  should  be  rewarded  with  so  ample 
a  Sine-cure,  and  that  we  for  our  Obedience  should 
be  condemned  to  dig  in  the  Mine  to  pay  it  him  ! 
This  bitter  Pill,  I  confess,  was  more  than  I  could 
down  with,  and  therefore  soon  determin'd  at  all 
Events  never  to  take  it.  But  as  I  had  a  Man  in  Power 
to  deal  with,  it  was  not  my  business  to  speak  out  to 
him,  or  to  set  forth  our  Treatment  in  its  proper 
Colours.  My  only  Doubt  was,  Whether  I  could  bring 
Wilks  into  the  same  Sentiments  (for  he  never  car'd 
to  litigate  any  thing  that  did  not  affect  his  Figure 
upon  the  Stage.)  But  I  had  the  good  Fortune  to 
lay  our  Condition  in  so  precarious  and  disagreeable 
a  Light  to  him,  if  we  submitted  to  this  Order,  that 
he  fir'd  before  I  could  get  thro'  half  the  Consequences 
of  it ;  and  I  began  now  to  find  it  more  difficult  to 
keep  him  within  Bounds  than  I  had  before  to  alarm 
him.  I  then  propos'd  to  him  this  Expedient :  That 
we  should  draw  up  a  Remonstrance,  neither  seeming 


148  THE    LIFE    OF 

to  refuse  or  comply  with  this  Order ;  but  to  start 
such  Objections  and  perplexing  Difficulties  that 
should  make  the  whole  impracticable :  That  under 
such  Distractions  as  this  would  raise  in  our  Affairs 
we  could  not  be  answerable  to  keep  open  our  Doors, 
which  consequently  would  destroy  the  Fruit  of  the 
Favour  lately  granted  to  Booth,  as  well  as  of  This 
intended  to  Dogget  himself.  To  this  Remonstrance 
we  received  an  Answer  in  Writing,  which  varied 
something  in  the  Measures  to  accommodate  Matters 
with  Dogget.  This  was  all  I  desir'd ;  when  I  found 
the  Style  of  Sic  jubeo  was  alter'd,  when  this  for 
midable  Power  began  to  parley  with  us,  we  knew 
there  could  not  be  much  to  be  fear'd  from  it :  For  I 
would  have  remonstrated  'till  I  had  died,  rather  than 
have  yielded  to  the  roughest  or  smoothest  Persua 
sion,  that  could  intimidate  or  deceive  us.  By  this 
Conduct  we  made  the  Affair  at  last  too  troublesome 
for  the  Ease  of  a  Courtier  to  go  thro'  with.  For 
when  it  was  consider'd  that  the  principal  Point,  the 
Admission  of  Booth,  was  got  over,  Dogget  was  fairly 
left  to  the  Law  for  Relief.1 

1  The  dates  regarding  this  quarrel  with  Dogget  are  very  difficult 
to  fix  satisfactorily.  In  the  collection  of  Mr.  Francis  Harvey  of 
St.  James's  Street  are  some  valuable  letters  by  Dogget  in  connec 
tion  with  this  matter.  From  these,  and  from  Mr.  Percy  Fitz 
gerald's  "New  History"  (i.  352-358),  I  have  made  up  a  list  of 
dates,  which,  however,  I  give  with  all  reserve.  We  know  from 
"  The  Laureat "  that  Dogget  had  some  funds  of  the  theatre  in 
his  hands  when  he  ceased  acting,  and  this  fact  makes  a  Petition 
by  Gibber  and  Wilks,  that  he  should  account  with  them  for  money, 
intelligible.  This  is  dated  i6th  January,  1714 — it  cannot  be  1713, 


MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  149 

Upon  this  Disappointment  Dogget  accordingly 
preferred  a  Bill  in  Chancery  against  us.  Wilks, 
who  hated  all  Business  but  that  of  entertaining  the 
Publick,  left  the  Conduct  of  our  Cause  to  me ;  in 
which  we  had,  at  our  first  setting  out,  this  Advantage 
of  Dogget,  that  we  had  three  Pockets  to  support  our 
Expence,  where  he  had  but  One.  My  first  Direc 
tion  to  our  Solicitor  was,  to  use  all  possible  Delay 
that  the  Law  would  admit  of,  a  Direction  that 
Lawyers  seldom  neglect ;  by  this  means  we  hung  up 
our  Plaintiff  about  two  Years  in  Chancery,  'till  we 
were  at  full  Leisure  to  come  to  a  Hearing  before  the 
Lord- Chancellor  Cooper,  which  did  not  happen  'till 
after  the  Accession  of  his  late  Majesty.  The  Issue 
of  it  was  this.  Dogget  had  about  fourteen  Days 
allow'd  him  to  make  his  Election  whether  he  would 

as  Mr.  Fitzgerald  says,  for  Booth  was  not  admitted  then,  and  the 
quarrel  had  not  arisen.  Then  follows  a  Petition  from  Gibber, 
Booth,  and  Wilks,  dated  5th  February,  1714,  praying  the  Cham 
berlain  to  settle  the  dispute.  Petitions  by  Dogget  bear  date  iyth 
April,  1714;  and,  I  think,  i4th  June,  1714.  Mr.  Fitzgerald  gives 
this  latter  date  as  i4th  January,  1714,  and  certainly  the  date  on 
the  document  itself  is  more  like  "  Jan  "  than  "  June ; "  but  in  the 
course  of  the  Petition  Dogget  says  that  the  season  will  end  in  a 
few  days,  which  seems  to  fix  June  as  the  correct  month.  The 
season  1713-14  ended  i8th  June,  1714.  Next  comes  a  Petition 
that  Dogget  should  be  compelled  to  act  if  he  was  to  draw  his 
share  of  the  profits,  which  is  dated  3rd  November,  1714.  In  this 
case  we  are  on  sure  ground,  for  the  Petition  is  preserved  among 
the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Papers.  Another  Petition  by  Dogget,  in 
which  he  talks  of  his  being  forced  into  Westminster  Hall  to  obtain 
his  rights,  is  dated  "  Jan.  ye  6  1714,"  that  is,  1715.  After  this,  legal 
action  was  no  doubt  commenced,  as  related  by  Gibber. 


150  THE    LIFE    OF 

return  to  act  as  usual  :  But  he  declaring,  by  his 
Counsel,  That  he  rather  chose  to  quit  the  Stage,  he 
was  decreed  Six  Hundred  Pounds  for  his  Share  in 
our  Property,  with  15  per  Cent.  Interest  from  the 
Date  of  the  last  License  :  Upon  the  Receipt  of  which 
both  Parties  were  to  sign  General- Releases,  and 
severally  to  pay  their  own  Costs.  By  this  Decree, 
Dogget,  when  his  Lawyer's  Bill  was  paid,  scarce  got 
one  Year's  Purchase  of  what  we  had  offer'd  him 
without  Law,  which  (as  he  surviv'd  but  seven  Years 
after  it)  would  have  been  an  Annuity  of  Five 
Hundred  Pounds  and  a  Sine  Cure  for  Life.1 

Tho'  there  are  many  Persons  living  who  know 
every  Article  of  these  Facts  to  be  true :  Yet  it  will 
be  found  that  the  strongest  of  them  was  not  the 
strongest  Occasion  of  Dogget' s  quitting  the  Stage. 
If  therefore  the  Reader  should  not  have  Curiosity 
enough  to  know  how  the  Publick  came  to  be  depriv'd 
of  so  valuable  an  Actor,  let  him  consider  that  he  is  not 
obliged  to  go  through  the  rest  of  this  Chapter,  which 
I  fairly  tell  him  before-hand  will  only  be  fill'd  up  with 
a  few  idle  Anecdotes  leading  to  that  Discovery. 

After  our  Law-suit  was  ended,  Dogget  for  some 
few  Years  could  scarce  bear  the  Sight  of  Wilks  or 
myself;  tho'  (as  shall  be  shewn)  for  different  Reasons : 
Yet  it  was  his  Misfortune  to  meet  with  us  almost 
every  Day.  Buttons  Coffee-house,  so  celebrated  in 

1  So  full  an  account  of  Dogget  is  given  by  Gibber  and  by 
Aston,  that  I  need  only  add,  that  he  first  appeared  about  1691 ; 
and  that  he  died  in  1721. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  151 

the  Tatlers  for  the  Good- Company  that  came  there, 
was  at  this  time  in  its  highest  Request.  Addison, 
Steele,  Pope,  and  several  other  Gentlemen  of  different 
Merit,  then  made  it  their  constant  Rendezvous.  Nor 
could  Dogget  decline  the  agreeable  Conversation 
there,  tho'  he  was  daily  sure  to  find  Wilks  or  myself 
in  the  same  Place  to  sour  his  Share  of  it :  For  as 
Wilks  and  He  were  differently  Proud,  the  one  rejoic 
ing  in  a  captious,  over-bearing,  valiant  Pride,  and  the 
other  in  a  stiff,  sullen,  Purse- Pride,  it  may  be  easily 
conceiv'd,  when  two  such  Tempers  met,  how  agreeable 
the  Sight  of  one  was  to  the  other.  And  as  Dogget 
knew  I  had  been  the  Conductor  of  our  Defence 
against  his  Law-suit,  which  had  hurt  him  more  for 
the  Loss  he  had  sustain'd  in  his  Reputation  of 
understanding  Business,  which  he  valued  himself 
upon,  than  his  Disappointment  had  of  getting  so 
little  by  it ;  it  was  no  wonder  if  I  was  intirely  out  of 
his  good  Graces,  which  I  confess  I  was  inclin'd  upon 
any  reasonable  Terms  to  have  recover' d ;  he  being 
of  all  my  Theatrical  Brethren  the  Man  I  most  de 
lighted  in  :  For  when  he  was  not  in  a  Fit  of  Wisdom, 
or  not  over-concerned  about  his  Interest,  he  had  a 
great  deal  of  entertaining  Humour  :  I  therefore,  not 
withstanding  his  Reserve,  always  left  the  Door  open 
to  our  former  Intimacy,  if  he  were  inclined  to  come 
into  it.  I  never  failed  to  give  him  my  Hat  and 
Your  Servant  wherever  I  met  him  ;  neither  of  which 
he  would  ever  return  for  above  a  Year  after ;  but  I 
still  persisted  in  my  usual  Salutation,  without  observ- 


152  THE    LIFE    OF 

ing  whether  it  was  civilly  received  or  not.  This 
ridiculous  Silence  between  two  Comedians,  that  had 
so  lately  liv'd  in  a  constant  Course  of  Raillery  with 
one  another,  was  often  smil'd  at  by  our  Acquaintance 
who  frequented  the  same  Coffee-house :  And  one  of 
them  carried  his  Jest  upon  it  so  far,  that  when  I  was 
at  some  Distance  from  Town  he  wrote  me  a  formal 
Account  that  Dogget  was  actually  dead.  After  the 
first  Surprize  his  Letter  gave  me  was  over,  I  began 
to  consider,  that  this  coming  from  a  droll  Friend  to 
both  of  us,  might  possibly  be  written  to  extract  some 
Merriment  out  of  my  real  belief  of  it :  In  this  I  was 
not  unwilling  to  gratify  him,  and  returned  an  Answer 
as  if  I  had  taken  the  Truth  of  his  News  for  granted  ; 
and  was  not  a  little  pleas'd  that  I  had  so  fair  an 
Opportunity  of  speaking  my  Mind  freely  of  Dogget, 
which  I  did,  in  some  Favour  of  his  Character ;  I  ex 
cused  his  Faults,  and  was  just  to  his  Merit.  His 
Law-suit  with  us  I  only  imputed  to  his  having  natu 
rally  deceived  himself  in  the  Justice  of  his  Cause. 
What  I  most  complain' d  of  was,  his  irreconcilable 
Disaffection  to  me  upon  it,  whom  he  could  not  reason 
ably  blame  for  standing  in  my  own  Defence;  that 
not  to  endure  me  after  it  was  a  Reflection  upon  his 
Sense,  when  all  our  Acquaintance  had  been  Wit 
nesses  of  our  former  Intimacy,  which  my  Behaviour 
in  his  Life-time  had  plainly  shewn  him  I  had  a  mind 
to  renew.  But  since  he  was  now  gone  (however 
great  a  Churl  he  was  to  me)  I  was  sorry  my  Corre 
spondent  had  lost  him. 


MR.  COLLEY    GIBBER.  153 

This  Part  of  my  Letter  I  was  sure,  if  Dogget* 
Eyes  were  still  open,  would  be  shewn  to  him  ;  if  not,  I 
had  only  writ  it  to  no  Purpose.     But  about  a  Month 
after,  when  I  came  to  Town,  I  had  some  little  Reason 
to  imagine  it  had  the  Effect  I  wish'd  from  it :  For 
one  Day,  sitting  over-against  him  at  the  same  Coffee-  f 
house  where  we  often  mixt  at  the  same  Table,  tho' 
we  never  exchanged  a  single  Syllable,  he  graciously 
extended  his  Hand  for  a  Pinch  of  my  Snuff:  As  this  J 
seem'd  from  him  a  sort  of  breaking  the  Ice  of  his 
Temper,  I  took  Courage  upon  it  to  break  Silence  on 
my  Side,  and  ask'd  him  how  he  lik'd  it  ?  To  which, 
with   a   slow  Hesitation   naturally   assisted  by  the 
Action  of  his  taking  the  Snuff,  he  reply'd — Umh  ! 
the  best — Umh  I — /  have  tasted  a  great  while  ! — If  the 
Reader,  who  may  possibly  think  all  this  extremely 
trifling,  will  consider  that  Trifles  sometimes  shew  Cha 
racters  in  as  strong  a  Light  as  Facts  of  more  serious 
Importance,   I  am  in  hopes  he  may  allow  that  my 
Matter  less  needs  an  Excuse  than  the  Excuse  itself 
does  ;  if  not,  I  must  stand  condemn'd  at  the  end  of  my 

Story. But  let  me  go  on. 

After  a  few  Days  of  these  coy,  Lady-like  Com 
pliances  on  his  Side,  we  grew  into  a  more  convers 
able  Temper  :  At  last  I  took  a  proper  Occasion,  and 
desired  he  would  be  so  frank  with  me  as  to  let  me 
know  what  was  his  real  Dislike,  or  Motive,  that  made 
him  throw  up  so  good  an  Income  as  his  Share  with 
us  annually  brought  him  in  ?  For  though  by  our 
Admission  of  Booth,  it  might  not  probably  amount  to 


154  THE  LIFE  °F 

so  much  by  a  Hundred  or  two  a  Year  as  formerly, 
yet  the  Remainder  was  too  considerable  to  be 
quarrel'd  with,  and  was  likely  to  continue  more  than 
the  best  Actors  before  us  had  ever  got  by  the  Stage. 
And  farther,  to  encourage  him  to  be  open,  I  told 
him,  If  I  had  done  any  thing  that  had  particularly 
disobliged  him,  I  was  ready,  if  he  could  put  me  in 
the  way,  to  make  him  any  Amends  in  my  Power  ; 
if  not,  I  desired  he  would  be  so  just  to  himself  as  to 
let  me  know  the  real  Truth  without  Reserve  :  But 
Reserve  he  could  not,  from  his  natural  Temper, 
easily  shake  off.  All  he  said  came  from  him  by  half 
Sentences  and  Inuendos,  as — No,  he  had  not  taken 
any  thing  particularly  ill — for  his  Part,  he  was  very 
easy  as  he  was ;  but  where  others  were  to  dispose  of 
his  Property  as  they  pleas' d — if  you  had  stood  it  out 
as  I  did,  Booth  might  have  paid  a  better  Price  for  it. 
— You  were  too  much  afraid  of  the  Court — but  that's 
all  over. — There  were  other  things  in  the  Playhouse. 
— No  Man  of  Spirit. — In  short,  to  be  always  pester'd 
and  provok'd  by  a  trifling  Wasp — a — vain — shallow ! 
— A  Man  would  sooner  beg  his  Bread  than  bear  it. 
— (Here  it  was  easy  to  understand  him  :  I  therefore 
ask'd  him  what  he  had  to  bear  that  I  had  not  my 
Share  of?)  No  !  it  was  not  the  same  thing,  he  said. 
— You  can  play  with  a  Bear,  or  let  him  alone  and  do 
what  he  would,  but  I  could  not  let  him  lay  his  Paws 
upon  me  without  being  hurt ;  you  did  not  feel  him  as 
I  did. — And  for  a  Man  to  be  cutting  of  Throats  upon 
every  Trifle  at  my  time  of  Day  ! — If  I  had  been  as 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  155 

covetous  as  he  thought  me,  may  be  I  might  have  born 
it  as  well  as  you — but  I  would  not  be  a  Lord  of  the 
Treasury  if  such  a  Temper  as  Wilks  s  were  to  be  at 
the  Head  of  it. — 

Here,  then,  the  whole  Secret  was  out.  The  rest  of 
our  Conversation  was  but  explaining  upon  it.  In  a 
Word,  the  painful  Behaviour  of  Wilks  had  hurt  him 
so  sorely  that  the  Affair  of  Booth  was  look'd  upon 
as  much  a  Relief  as  a  Grievance,  in  giving  him  so 
plausible  a  Pretence  to  get  rid  of  us  all  with  a  better 
Grace. 

Booth  too,  in  a  little  time,  had  his  Share  of  the 
same  Uneasiness,  and  often  complain'd  of  it  to  me  : 
Yet  as  we  neither  of  us  could  then  afford  to  pay 
Dogget's  Price  for  our  Remedy,  all  we  could  do  was 
to  avoid  every  Occasion  in  our  Power  of  inflaming 
the  Distemper :  So  that  we  both  agreed,  tho'  Wilks 's 
Nature  was  not  to  be  changed,  it  was  a  less  Evil  to 
live  with  him  than  without  him. 

Tho'  I  had  often  suspected,  from  what  I  had  felt 
myself,  that  the  Temper  of  Wilks  was  Doggefs  real 
Quarrel  to  the  Stage,  yet  I  could  never  thoroughly 
believe  it  'till  I  had  it  from  his  own  Mouth.  And  I 
then  thought  the  Concern  he  had  shewn  at  it  was  a 
good  deal  inconsistent  with  that  Understanding 
which  was  generally  allow'd  him.  When  I  give  my 
Reasons  for  it,  perhaps  the  Reader  will  not  have  a 
better  Opinion  of  my  own  :  Be  that  as  it  may,  I 
cannot  help  wondering  that  he  who  was  so  much 
more  capable  of  Reflexion  than  Wilks,  could  sacrifice 

n.  L 


156  THE    LIFE    OF 

so  valuable  an  Income  to  his  Impatience  of  another's 
natural  Frailty !  And  though  my  Stoical  way  of 
thinking  may  be  no  Rule  for  a  wiser  Man's  Opinion, 
yet,  if  it  should  happen  to  be  right,  the  Reader  may 
make  his  Use  of  it.  Why  then  should  we  not  always 
consider  that  the  Rashness  of  Abuse  is  but  the  false 
Reason  of  a  weak  Man  ?  and  that  offensive  Terms 
are  only  used  to  supply  the  want  of  Strength  in 
Argument  ?  Which,  as  to  the  common  Practice  of 
the  sober  World,  we  do  not  find  every  Man  in  Busi 
ness  is  oblig'd  to  resent  with  a  military  Sense  of 
Honour :  Or  if  he  should,  would  not  the  Conclusion 
amount  to  this  ?  Because  another  wants  Sense  and 
Manners  I  am  obliged  to  be  a  Madman :  For  such 
every  Man  is,  more  or  less,  while  the  Passion  of 
Anger  is  in  Possession  of  him.  And  what  less  can 
we  call  that  proud  Man  who  would  put  another  out 
of  the  World  only  for  putting  him  out  of  Humour  ? 
If  Accounts  of  the  Tongue  were  always  to  be  made 
up  with  the  Sword,  all  the  Wisemen  in  the  World 
might  be  brought  in  Debtors  to  Blockheads.  And 
when  Honour  pretends  to  be  Witness,  Judge,  and 
Executioner  in  its  own  Cause,  if  Honour  were  a  Man, 
would  it  be  an  Untruth  to  say  Honour  is  a  very  im 
pudent  Fellow  ?  But  in  Doggefs  Case  it  may  be 
ask'd,  How  was  he  to  behave  himself?  Were  pas 
sionate  Insults  to  be  born  for  Years  together  ?  To 
these  Questions  I  can  only  answer  with  two  or  three 
more,  Was  he  to  punish  himself  because  another  was 
in  the  wrong  ?  How  many  sensible  Husbands  en- 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  157 

dure  the  teizing  Tongue  of  a  fro  ward  Wife  only  be 
cause  she  is  the  weaker  Vessel  ?  And  why  should 
not  a  weak  Man  have  the  same  Indulgence  ?  Daily 
Experience  will  tell  us  that  the  fretful  Temper 
of  a  Friend,  like  the  Personal  Beauty  of  a  fine 
Lady,  by  Use  and  Cohabitation  may  be  brought 
down  to  give  us  neither  Pain  nor  Pleasure.  Such, 
at  least,  and  no  more,  was  the  Distress  I  found  my 
self  in  upon. the  same  Provocations,  which  I  gene 
rally  return'd  with  humming  an  Air  to  myself;  or 
if  the  Storm  grew  very  high,  it  might  perhaps 
sometimes  rufHe  me  enough  to  sing  a  little  out  of 
Tune.  Thus  too  (if  I  had  any  ill  Nature  to  gratify) 
I  often  saw  the  unruly  Passion  of  the  Aggressor's 
Mind  punish  itself  by  a  restless  Disorder  of  the 
Body. 

What  inclines  me,  therefore,  to  think  the  Conduct 
of  Dogget  was  as  rash  as  the  Provocations  he  com- 
plain'd  of,  is  that  in  some  time  after  he  had  left  us 
he  plainly  discover'd  he  had  repented  it.  His  Ac 
quaintance  observ'd  to  us,  that  he  sent  many  a  long 
Look  after  his  Share  in  the  still  prosperous  State  of 
the  Stage  :  But  as  his  Heart  was  too  high  to  declare 
(what  we  saw  too)  his  shy  Inclination  to  return,  he 
made  us  no  direct  Overtures.  Nor,  indeed,  did  we 
care  (though  he  was  a  golden  Actor)  to  pay  too  dear 
for  him  :  For  as  most  of  his  Parts  had  been  pretty 
well  supply'd,  he  could  not  now  be  of  his  former 
Value  to  us.  However,  to  shew  the  Town  at  least 
that  he  had  not  forsworn  the  Stage,  he  one  Day  con- 


158  THE    LIFE    OF 

descended  to  play  for  the  Benefit  of  Mrs.  Porter?  in 
the  Wanton  Wife,  at  which  he  knew  his  late  Majesty 
was  to  be  present.2  Now  (tho'  I  speak  it  not  of  my 
own  Knowledge)  yet  it  was  not  likely  Mrs.  Porter 
would  have  ask'd  that  Favour  of  him  without  some 
previous  Hint  that  it  would  be  granted.  His  coming 
among  us  for  that  Day  only  had  a  strong  Appearance 
of  his  laying  it  in  our  way  to  make  him  Proposals,  or 
that  he  hoped  the  Court  or  Town  might  intimate  to 
us  their  Desire  of  seeing  him  oftener  :  But  as  he 
acted  only  to  do  a  particular  Favour,  the  Menagers 
ow'd  him  no  Compliment  for  it  beyond  Common 
Civilities.  And,  as  that  might  not  be  all  he  proposed 
by  it,  his  farther  Views  (if  he  had  any)  came  to 
nothing.  For  after  this  Attempt  he  never  returned 
to  the  Stage. 

To  speak  of  him  as  an  Actor  :  He  was  the  most 
an  Original,  and  the  strictest  Observer  of  Nature,  of 
all  his  Contemporaries.3  He  borrow'd  from  none  of 
them  :  His  Manner  was  his  own  :  He  was  a  Pattern 

1  See  memoir  of  Mrs.  Porter  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 

2  On  March  i8th,  1717.     Gibber  is  wrong  in  stating  that  this 
was  Dogget's  last  appearance ;  for  a  week  after  he  played  Ben  in 
"Love  for  Love"  (March  25th,  1717),  and  made  his  last  appear 
ance,  after  the  lapse  of  another  week  (April  ist,  1717),  when  he 
acted  Hob  in  «  The  Country  Wake." 

3  Downes  (""Rose.  Ang.,"  p.  52)  gives  a  quaint  description  of 
Dogget :    "  Mr.   Dogget,  On  the  Stage,  he's  very  Aspectabund, 
wearing  a  Farce  in  his  Face ;  his  Thoughts  deliberately  framing 
his  Utterance  Congruous  to  his  Looks :  He  is  the  only  Comick 
Original  now  Extant :   Witness,  Ben.  Solon,  Nikin,  The  Jew  of 
Venice,  &c." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  159 

to  others,  whose  greatest  Merit  was  that  they  had 
sometimes  tolerably  imitated  him.      In  dressing  a 
Character  to  the  greatest  Exactness  he  was  remark 
ably  skilful ;  the  least  Article  of  whatever  Habit  he 
wore  seem'd  in  some  degree  to  speak  and  mark  the 
different  Humour  he  presented;  a  necessary  Care  in 
a  Comedian,  in  which  many  have  been  too  remiss  or 
ignorant.    He  could  be  extremely  ridiculous  without 
stepping  into  the  least  Impropriety  to  make  him  so. 
His  greatest  Success  was  in  Characters  of  lower 
Life,  which  he  improv'd  from  the  Delight  he  took  in 
his  Observations  of  that  Kind  in  the  real  World. 
In  Songs,  and  particular  Dances,  too,  of  Humour, 
he  had  no  Competitor.     Congreve  was  a  great  Ad 
mirer  of  him,  and  found  his  Account  in  the  Characters 
he  expresly  wrote  for  him.     In  those  of  Fondlewifey 
in  his  Old  Batchelor,  and  Ben,  in  Love  for  Love,  no 
Author  and  Actor  could  be  more  obliged  to  their 
mutual  masterly  Performances.     He  was  very  accep 
table  to  several  Persons  of  high   Rank  and  Taste  : 
Tho'  he  seldom  car'd  to  be  the  Comedian  but  among 
his  more  intimate  Acquaintance. 

And  now  let  me  ask  the  World  a  Question. 
When  Men  have  any  valuable  Qualities,  why  are  the 
generality  of  our  modern  Wits  so  fond  of  exposing 
their  Failings  only,  which  the  wisest  of  Mankind 
will  never  wholly  be  free  from  ?  Is  it  of  more  use 
to  the  Publick  to  know  their  Errors  than  their  Per 
fections  ?  Why  is  the  Account  of  Life  to  be  so 
unequally  stated  ?  Though  a  Man  may  be  some- 


l6o  THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER. 

times  Debtor  to  Sense  or  Morality,  is  it  not  doing 
him  Wrong  not  to  let  the  World  see,  at  the  same 
time,  how  far  he  may  be  Creditor  to  both  ?  Are 
Defects  and  Disproportions  to  be  the  only  labour' d 
Features  in  a  Portrait  ?  But  perhaps  such  Authors 
may  know  how  to  please  the  World  better  than  I 
do,  and  may  naturally  suppose  that  what  is  delight 
ful  to  themselves  may  not  be  disagreeable  to  others. 
For  my  own  part,  I  confess  myself  a  little  touch'd  in 
Conscience  at  what  I  have  just  now  observ'd  to  the 
Disadvantage  of  my  other  Brother-Menager. 

If,  therefore,  in  discovering  the  true  Cause  of  the 
Publick's  losing  so  valuable  an  Actor  as  Dogget,  I 
have  been  obliged  to  shew  the  Temper  of  Wilks  in 
its  natural  Complexion,  ought  I  not,  in  amends  and 
Balance  of  his  Imperfections,  to  say  at  the  same  time 
of  him,  That  if  he  was  not  the  most  Correct  or  Judi 
cious,  yet  (as  Hamlet  says  of  the  King  his  Father) 
Take  him  for  All  in  All,  &c.  he  was  certainly  the 
most  diligent,  most  laborious,  and  most  useful  Actor 
that  I  have  seen  upon  the  Stage  in  Fifty  Years.1 

1  "The  Laureat,"  p.  83  :  "Thy  Partiality  is  so  notorious,  with 
Relation  to  Wilksy  that  every  one  sees  you  never  praise  him,  but 
to  rail  at  him  ;  and  only  oil  your  Hone,  to  whet  your  Razor." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Sir  Richard  Steele  succeeds  Collier  in  the  Theatre-Royal.  Lincoln's- 
Inn-Fields  House  rebuilt.  The  Patent  restored.  Eight  Actors 
at  once  desert  from  the  King's  Company.  Why.  A  new  Patent 
obtained  by  Sir  Richard  Steele,  and  assigned  in  Shares  to  the 
menaging  Actors  of  Drury-Lane.  Of  modern  Pantomimes.  The 
Rise  of  them.  Vanity  invincible  and  ashamed.  The  Non-juror 
acted.  The  Author  not  forgiven,  and  rewarded  for  it. 

UPON  the  Death  of  the  Queen,  Plays  (as  they 
always  had  been  on  the  like  Occasions)  were 
silenc'd  for  six  Weeks.     But  this  happening  on  the 
first  of  August^  in  the  long  Vacation  of  the  Theatre, 
the  Observance  of  that  Ceremony,  which  at  another 


1 62  THE    LIFE    OF 

Juncture  would  have  fallen  like  wet  Weather  upon 
their  Harvest,  did  them  now  no  particular  Damage. 
Their  License,  however,  being  of  course  to  be  re 
newed,  that  Vacation  gave  the  Menagers  Time  to 
cast  about  for  the  better  Alteration  of  it :  And 
since  they  knew  the  Pension  of  seven  hundred  a 
Year,  which  had  been  levied  upon  them  for  Collier, 
must  still  be  paid  to  somebody,  they  imagined  the 
Merit  of  a  Whig  might  now  have  as  good  a  Chance 
for  getting  into  it,  as  that  of  a  Tory  had  for  being 
continued  in  it :  Having  no  Obligations,  therefore, 
to  Collier,  who  had  made  the  last  Penny  of  them, 
they  apply' d  themselves  to  Sir  Richard  Steele,  who 
had  distinguished  himself  by  his  Zeal  for  the  House 
of  Hanover,  and  had  been  expell'd  the  House  of 
Commons  for  carrying  it  (as  was  judg'd  at  a  certain 
Crisis)  into  a  Reproach  of  the  Government.  This 
we  knew  was  his  Pretension  to  that  Favour  in  which 
he  now  stood  at  Court :  We  knew,  too,  the  Obliga 
tions  the  Stage  had  to  his  Writings ;  there  being 
scarce  a  Comedian  of  Merit  in  our  whole  Company 
whom  his  Tatlers  had  not  made  better  by  his  pub- 
lick  Recommendation  of  them.  And  many  Days  had 
our  House  been  particularly  fill'd  by  the  Influence 
and  Credit  of  his  Pen.  Obligations  of  this  kind  from 
a  Gentleman  with  whom  they  all  had  the  Pleasure  of 
a  personal  Intimacy,  the  Menagers  thought  could 
not  be  more  justly  return' d  than  by  shewing  him 
some  warm  Instance  of  their  Desire  to  have  him  at 
the  Head  of  them.  We  therefore  beg'd  him  to  use 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  163 

his  Interest  for  the  Renewal  of  our  License,  and  that 
he  would  do  us  the  Honour  of  getting  our  Names  to 
stand  with  His  in  the  same  Commission.  This,  we 
told  him,  would  put  it  still  farther  into  his  Power  of 
supporting  the  Stage  in  that  Reputation,  to  which  his 
Lucubrations  had  already  so  much  contributed ;  and 
that  therefore  we  thought  no  Man  had  better  Pre 
tences  to  partake  of  its  Success.1 

1  In  the  Dedication  to  Steele  of  "Ximena"  (1719)  Gibber 
warmly  acknowledges  the  great  service  Steele  had  done  to  the 
theatre,  not  only  in  improving  the  tone  of  its  performances,  but 
also  in  the  mere  attracting  of  public  attention  to  it.  "  How  many 
a  time,"  he  says,  "  have  we  known  the  most  elegant  Audiences 
drawn  together  at  a  Day's  Warning,  by  the  Influence  or  Warrant 
of  a  single  Tatler,  when  our  best  Endeavours  without  it,  could  not 
defray  the  Charge  of  the  Performance."  In  the  same  Dedication 
Gibber's  gratitude  overstepped  his  judgment,  in  apply  ing  to  Steele's 
generous  acknowledgment  of  his  indebtedness  to  Addison's  help 
in  his  "  Spectator,"  &c.,  Dryden's  lines  : — 

"  Fool  that  I  was  !  upon  my  Eagle's  Wings 
I  bore  this  Wren,  'till  I  was  tir'd  with  soaring, 

And  now,  he  mounts  above  me " 

The  following  Epigram  is  quoted  in  "The  Laureat,"  p.  76.     It 
originally  appeared  in  "Mist's  Journal,"  3ist  October,  1719  : — 
"  Thus  Colley  Gibber  to  his  Partner  Steele, 
See  here.  Sir  Knight,  how  Fve  outdone  Corneille ; 
See  here,  how  I,  my  Patron  to  inveigle, 
Make  Addison  a  Wren,  and  you  an  Eagle. 
Safe  to  the  silent  Shades,  we  bid  Defiance  ; 
For  living  Dogs  are  better  than  dead  Lions." 
In  one  of  his  Odes,  at  which  Johnson  laughed  (Boswell,  i.  402 
Gibber  had  the  couplet : — 

"  Perch'd  on  the  eagle's  soaring  wing, 
The  lowly  linnet  loves  to  sing." 


164  THE    LIFE    OF 

Though  it  may  be  no  Addition  to  the  favourable 
Part  of  this  Gentleman's  Character  to  say  with  what 
Pleasure  he  received  this  Mark  of  our  Inclination  to 
him,  yet  my  Vanity  longs  to  tell  you  that  it  surpriz'd 
him  into  an  Acknowledgment  that  People  who  are 
shy  of  Obligations  are  cautious  of  confessing.  His 
Spirits  took  such  a  lively  turn  upon  it,  that  had  we 
been  all  his  own  Sons,  no  unexpected  Act  of  filial 
Duty  could  have  more  endear' d  us  to  him. 

It  must  be  observed,  then,  that  as  Collier  had  no 
Share  in  any  Part  of  our  Property,  no  Difficulties 
from  that  Quarter  could  obstruct  this  Proposal. 
And  the  usual  Time  of  our  beginning  to  act  for  the 
Winter-Season  now  drawing  near,  we  press'd  him 
not  to  lose  any  Time  in  his  Solicitation  of  this  new 
License.  Accordingly  Sir  Richard  apply'd  himself 
to  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  the  Hero  of  his  Heart, 
who,  upon  the  first  mention  of  it,  obtain'd  it  of  his 
Majesty  for  Sir  Richard  and  the  former  Mena- 

"  Ximena ;  or,  the  Heroic  Daughter,"  produced  on  28th  No 
vember,  1712,  was  an  adaptation  of  Corneille's  "Cid."  We  do  not 
know  the  cast  of  1712,  but  that  of  1718  (Drury  Lane,  ist  Novem 
ber)  was  the  following  : — 

DON  FERDINAND Mr.  Mills. 

DON  ALVAREZ Mr.  Gibber. 

DON  GORMAZ Mr.  Booth. 

DON  CARLOS Mr.  Wilks. 

DON  SANCHEZ Mr.  Elrington. 

DON  ALONZO Mr.  Thurmond. 

DON  GARCIA Mr.  Boman. 

XIMENA Mrs.  Oldfield. 

BELZARA  .  .   Mrs.  Porter. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  165 

gers  who  were  Actors.  Collier  viz  heard  no  more 
of.1 

The  Court  and  Town  being  crowded  very  early 
in  the  Winter-Season,  upon  the  critical  Turn  of 
Affairs  so  much  expected  from  the  Hanover  Succes 
sion,  the  Theatre  had  its  particular  Share  of  that 
general  Blessing  by  a  more  than  ordinary  Concourse 
of  Spectators. 

About  this  Time  the  Patentee,  having  very  near 
finish'd  his  House  in  Lincoln  s-Inn  Fields,  began  to 
think  of  forming  a  new  Company  ;  and  in  the  mean 
time  found  it  necessary  to  apply  for  Leave  to  employ 
them.  By  the  weak  Defence  he  had  always  made 
against  the  several  Attacks  upon  his  Interest  and 
former  Government  of  the  Theatre,  it  might  be  a 
Question,  if  his  House  had  been  ready  in  the  Queen's 
Time,  whether  he  would  then  have  had  the  Spirit  to 
ask,  or  Interest  enough  to  obtain  Leave  to  use  it : 
But  in  the  following  Reign,  as  it  did  not  appear  he 
had  done  any  thing  to  forfeit  the  Right  of  his  Patent, 
he  prevail'd  with  Mr.  Craggs  the  Younger  (after 
wards  Secretary  of  State)  to  lay  his  Case  before  the 
King,  which  he  did  in  so  effectual  a  manner  that  (as 
Mr.  Craggs  himself  told  me)  his  Majesty  was  pleas'd 
to  say  upon  it,  "  That  he  remember'd  when  he  had 
"  been  in  England  before,  in  King  Charles  his  Time, 

1  A  Royal  Licence  was  granted  on  i8th  October,  1714,  to 
Steele,  Wilks,  Gibber,  Dogget,  and  Booth.  The  theatre  opened 
before  the  Licence  was  granted.  The  first  bill  given  by  Genest  is 
for  2ist  September,  1714. 


1 66  THE    LIFE    OF 

"  there  had  been  two  Theatres  in  London ;  and  as 
"  the  Patent  seem'd  to  be  a  lawful  Grant,  he  saw  no 
"  Reason  why  Two  Play-houses  might  not  be  con- 
"  tinued."  * 

The  Suspension  of  the  Patent  being  thus  taken 
off,  the  younger  Multitude  seem'd  to  call  aloud  for 
two  Play-houses !  Many  desired  another,  from  the 
common  Notion  that  Two  would  always  create  Emu 
lation  in  the  Actors  (an  Opinion  which  I  have  con 
sider' d  in  a  former  Chapter).  Others,  too,  were  as 
eager  for  them,  from  the  natural  Ill-will  that  follows 
the  Fortunate  or  Prosperous  in  any  Undertaking. 
Of  this  low  Malevolence  we  had,  now  and  then,  had 
remarkable  Instances;  we  had  been  forced  to  dismiss 
an  Audience  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  Pounds,  from  a 
Disturbance  spirited  up  by  obscure  People,  who 
never  gave  any  better  Reason  for  it,  than  that  it  was 
their  Fancy  to  support  the  idle  Complaint  of  one 
rival  Actress  against  another,  in  their  several  Preten 
sions  to  the  chief  Part  in  a  new  Tragedy.  But  as 
this  Tumult  seem'd  only  to  be  the  Wantonness  ot 
English  Liberty,  I  shall  not  presume  to  lay  any 
farther  Censure  upon  it.2 

Now,  notwithstanding  this  publick  Desire  of  re- 

1  Christopher  Rich  died  before  the  theatre  was  opened,  and  it 
was  under  the  management  of  John  Rich,  his  son,  that  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields  opened  on  i8th  December,  1714,  with  "The  Recruiting 
Officer."     The  company  was  announced  as  playing  under  Letters 
Patent  granted  by  King  Charles  the  Second. 

2  This  refers  to  a  riot  raised  by  the  supporters  of  Mrs.  Rogers, 
on  Mrs.  Oldfield's  being  cast  for  the  character  of  Andromache  in 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  167 

establishing  two  Houses  ;  and  though  I  have  allow'd 
the  former  Actors  greatly  our  Superiors ;  and  the 
Menagers  I  am  speaking  of  not  to  have  been  with 
out  their  private  Errors  :  Yet  under  all  these  Disad 
vantages,  it  is  certain  the  Stage,  for  twenty  Years 
before  this  time,  had  never  been  in  so  flourishing  a 
Condition  :  And  it  was  as  evident  to  all  sensible 
Spectators  that  this  Prosperity  could  be  only  owing 
to  that  better  Order  and  closer  Industry  now  daily 
observ'd,  and  which  had  formerly  been  neglected  by 
our  Predecessors.  But  that  I  may  not  impose  upon 
the  Reader  a  Merit  which  was  not  generally  allow'd 
us,  I  ought  honestly  to  let  him  know,  that  about  this 
time  the  publick  Papers,  particularly  Mist's  Journal, 
took  upon  them  very  often  to  censure  our  Menage- 
ment,  with  the  same  Freedom  and  Severity  as  if  we 
had  been  so  many  Ministers  of  State :  But  so  it 
happen'd,  that  these  unfortunate  Reformers  of  the 
World,  these  self-appointed  Censors,  hardly  ever  hit 
upon  what  was  really  wrong  in  us ;  but  taking  up 
Facts  upon  Trust,  or  Hear-say,  piled  up  many  a 
pompous  Paragraph  that  they  had  ingeniously  con- 
ceiv'd  was  sufficient  to  demolish  our  Administration, 
or  at  least  to  make  us  very  uneasy  in  it ;  which, 
indeed,  had  so  far  its  Effect,  that  my  equally-injur'd 
Brethren,  Wilks  and  Booth,  often  complain'd  to  me 
of  these  disagreeable  Aspersions,  and  proposed  that 
some  publick  Answer  might  be  made  to  them,  which 

Philips's  tragedy  of  "The  Distressed  Mother,"  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  on  iyth  March,  1712, 


1 68  THE    LIFE    OF 

I  always  oppos'd  by,  perhaps,  too  secure  a  Contempt 
of  what  such  Writers  could  do  to  hurt  us  ;  and  my 
Reason  for  it  was,  that  I  knew  but  of  one  way  to 
silence  Authors  of  that  Stamp ;  which  was,  to  grow 
insignificant  and  good  for  nothing,  and  then  we 
should  hear  no  more  of  them :  But  while  we  con 
tinued  in  the  Prosperity  of  pleasing  others,  and  were 
not  conscious  of  having  deserv'd  what  they  said  of 
us,  why  should  we  gratify  the  little  Spleen  of  our 
Enemies  by  wincing  at  it,1  or  give  them  fresh  Oppor 
tunities  to  dine  upon  any  Reply  they  might  make  to 
our  publickly  taking  Notice  of  them  ?  And  though 
Silence  might  in  some  Cases  be  a  sign  of  Guilt  or 
Error  confess'd,  our  Accusers  were  so  low  in  their 
Credit  and  Sense,  that  the  Content  we  gave  the 
Publick  almost  every  Day  from  the  Stage  ought  to 
be  our  only  Answer  to  them. 

However  (as  I  have  observ'd)  we  made  many 
Blots,  which  these  unskilful  Gamesters  never  hit : 
But  the  Fidelity  of  an  Historian  cannot  be  excus'd 
the  Omission  of  any  Truth  which  might  make  for 
the  other  Side  of  the  Question.  I  shall  therefore 

1  Gibber  on  one  occasion  manifested  temper  to  a  rather  unex 
pected  degree.  In  1720,  when  Dennis  published  his  attacks  on 
Steele,  in  connection  with  his  being  deprived  of  the  Patent,  he 
accused  Gibber  of  impiety  and  various  other  crimes  and  mis 
demeanours;  and  Gibber  is  said  in  the  "Answer  to  the  Character 
of  Sir  John  Edgar  "  to  have  inserted  the  following  advertisement 
in  the  "  Daily  Post  "  :  "  Ten  Pounds  will  be  paid  by  Mr.  GIBBER, 
of  the  Theatre  Royal,  to  any  person  who  shall  (by  a  legal  proof) 
discover  the  Author  of  a  Pamphlet,  intituled,  '  The  Characters 
and  Conduct  of  Sir  JOHN  EDGAR,  &c.'"  (Nichols,  p.  401.) 


MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  169 

confess  a  Fact,  which,  if  a  happy  Accident  had  not 
intervened,  had  brought  our  Affairs  into  a  very  tot 
tering  Condition.  This,  too,  is  that  Fact  which  in  a 
former  Chapter  I  promised  to  set  forth  as  a  Sea-Mark 
of  Danger  to  future  Menagers  in  their  Theatrical 
Course  of  Government.1 

When  the  new-built  Theatre  in  Lincoln Js- Inn  Fields 
was  ready  to  be  open'd,  seven  or  eight  Actors  in  one 
Day  deserted  from  us  to  the  Service  of  the  Enemy,2 
which  oblig'd  us  to  postpone  many  of  our  best  Plays 
for  want  of  some  inferior  Part  in  them  which  these 
Deserters  had  been  used  to  fill :  But  the  Indulgence 
of  the  Royal  Family,  who  then  frequently  honour'd 
us  by  their  Presence,  was  pleas'd  to  accept  of  what 
ever  could  be  hastily  got  ready  for  their  Entertain 
ment.  And  tho'  this  critical  good  Fortune  prevented, 
in  some  measure,  our  Audiences  falling  so  low  as  other 
wise  they  might  have  done,  yet  it  was  not  sufficient  to 
keep  us  in  our  former  Prosperity  :  For  that  Year 
our  Profits  amounted  not  to  above  a  third  Part  of 
our  usual  Dividends  ;  tho'  in  the  following  Year  we 
intirely  recover' d  them.  The  Chief  of  these  Deser 
ters  were  Keene,  Bullock,  Pack?  Leigh,  Son  of  the 

1  Gibber  refers  to  his  remarks  (see  vol.  i.  p.  191)  on  the  conduct 
of  the  Patentees  which  caused  Betterton's  secession  in  1694-5. 

a  In  addition  to  Keen,  Bullock  (William),  Pack,  and  Leigh, 
whom  Gibber  mentions  a  few  lines  after,  Spiller  and  Christopher 
Bullock  were  among  the  deserters  ;  and  probably  Cory  and  Knap. 
Mrs.  Rogers,  Mrs.  Knight,  and  Mrs.  Kent  also  deserted. 

3  George  Pack  is  an  actor  of  whom  Chetwood  ("  History,"  p. 
210)  gives  some  account.  He  first  came  on  the  stage  as  a  singer, 


I  70  THE    LIFE    OF 

famous  Tony  Leigh?  and  others  of  less  note.  'Tis 
true,  they  none  of  them  had  more  than  a  negative 
Merit,  in  being  only  able  to  do  us  more  Harm  by 
their  leaving  us  without  Notice,  than  they  could  do 
us  Good  by  remaining  with  us  :  For  though  the  best 
of  them  could  not  support  a  Play,  the  worst  of  them 
by  their  Absence  could  maim  it ;  as  the  Loss  of  the 
least  Pin  in  a  Watch  may  obstruct  its  Motion.  But 
to  come  to  the  true  Cause  of  their  Desertion  :  After 
my  having  discovered  the  (long  unknown)  Occasion 
that  drove  Dogget  from  the  Stage  before  his  settled 
Inclination  to  leave  it,  it  will  be  less  incredible  that 
these  Actors,  upon  the  first  Opportunity  to  relieve 
themselves,  should  all  in  one  Day  have  left  us  from 
the  same  Cause  of  Uneasiness.  For,  in  a  little  time 
after,  upon  not  finding  their  Expectations  answer'd 
in  Lincoln  s- Inn  Fields,  some  of  them,  who  seem'd 


performing  the  female  parts  in  duets  with  Leveridge.  His  first 
appearance  chronicled  by  Genest  was  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in 
1700,  as  Westmoreland  in  the  first  part  of  "  Henry  IV."  Chetwood 
says  he  was  excellent  as  Marplot  in  "The  Busy  Body,"  Beau 
Maiden  in  "  Tunbridge  Walks,"  Beau  Mizen  in  "The  Fair  Quaker 
of  Deal,"  &c. :  "indeed  Nature  seemed  to  mean  him  for  those  Sort  of 
Characters?  On  loth  March,  1722,  he  announced  his  last  appear 
ance  on  any  stage;  but  he  returned  on  2ist  April  and  7th  May, 
1724,  on  which  latter  date  he  had  a  benefit.  Chetwood  says  that 
on  his  retirement  he  opened  the  Globe  Tavern,  near  Charing- 
Cross,  over  against  the  Hay-market.  When  Chetwood  wrote  (1749) 
Pack  was  no  longer  alive. 

1  Francis  Leigh.  There  were  several  actors  of  the  name  of 
Leigh,  and  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  distinguish  them.  This 
particular  actor  died  about  1719. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  IJI 

to  answer  for  the  rest,  told  me  the  greatest  Grievance 
they  had  in  our  Company  was  the  shocking  Temper 
of  Wilks,  who,  upon  every,  almost  no  Occasion,  let 
loose  the  unlimited  Language  of  Passion  upon  them 
in  such  a  manner  as  their  Patience  was  not  longer 
able  to  support.  This,  indeed,  was  what  we  could 
not  justify !  This  was  a  Secret  that  might  have 
made  a  wholesome  Paragraph  in  a  critical  News- 
Paper!  But  as  it  was  our  good  Fortune  that  it 
came  not  to  the  Ears  of  our  Enemies,  the  Town 
was  not  entertained  with  their  publick  Remarks  upon 
it.1 

After  this  new  Theatre  had  enjoy'd  that  short  Run 
of  Favour  which  is  apt  to  follow  Novelty,  their 
Audiences  began  to  flag :  But  whatever  good  Opi- 

1  In  the  "  Weekly  Packet,"  i8th  December,  1714,  the  following 
appears  : — 

"  This  Day  the  New  Play-House  in  Lincolns-Inn  Fields,  is  to  be 
open'd  and  a  Comedy  acted  there,  calPd,  The  Recruiting  Officer, 
by  the  Company  that  act  under  the  Patent;  tho'  it  is  said,  that 
some  of  the  Gentlemen  who  have  left  the  House  in  Drury-Lane 
for  that  Service,  are  order'd  to  return  to  their  Colours,  upon  Pain 
of  not  exercising  their  Lungs  elsewhere ;  which  may  in  Time  prove 
of  ill  Service  to  the  Patentee,  that  has  been  at  vast  Expence  to 
make  his  Theatre  as  convenient  for  the  Reception  of  an  Audience 
as  any  one  can  possibly  be." 

Genest  remarks  that  this  seems  to  show  that  the  Lord  Cham 
berlain  threatened  to  interfere  in  the  interests  of  Drury  Lane.  He 
adds :  "  Gibber's  silence  proves  nothing  to  the  contrary,  as  in  more 
than  one  instance  he  does  not  tell  the  whole  truth"  (ii.  565).  In 
defence  of  Gibber  I  may  say  that  the  Chamberlain's  Records 
contain  no  hint  that  he  threatened  to  interfere  with  the  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields  Theatre  or  its  actors. 


172  THE    LIFE    OF 

nion  we  had  of  our  own  Merit,  we  had  not  so  good 
a  one  of  the  Multitude  as  to  depend  too  much  upon 
the  Delicacy  of  their  Taste  :  We  knew,  too,  that  this 
Company,  being  so  much  nearer  to  the  City  than  we 
were,  would  intercept  many  an  honest  Customer  that 
might  not  know  a  good  Market  from  a  bad  one;  and 
that  the  thinnest  of  their  Audiences  must  be  always 
taking  something  from  the  Measure  of  our  Profits. 
All  these  Disadvantages,  with  many  others,  we  were 
forced  to  lay  before  Sir  Richard  Steele,  and  farther 
to  remonstrate  to  him,  that  as  he  now  stood  in  Col 
liers  Place,  his  Pension  of  7oo/.  was  liable  to  the 
same  Conditions  that  Collier  had  receiv'd  it  upon  ; 
which  were,  that  it  should  be  only  payable  during 
our  being  the  only  Company  permitted  to  act,  but  in 
case  another  should  be  set  up  against  us,  that  then 
this  Pension  was  to  be  liquidated  into  an  equal  Share 
with  us  ;  and  which  we  now  hoped  he  would  be  con 
tented  with.  While  we  were  offering  to  proceed,  Sir 
Richard  stopt  us  short  by  assuring  us,  that  as  he 
came  among  us  by  our  own  Invitation,  he  should 
always  think  himself  oblig'd  to  come  into  any  Mea 
sures  for  our  Ease  and  Service  :  That  to  be  a  Burthen 
to  our  Industry  would  be  more  disagreeable  to  him 
than  it  could  be  to  us  ;  and  as  he  had  always  taken 
a  Delight  in  his  Endeavours  for  our  Prosperity,  he 
should  be  still  ready  on  our  own  Terms  to  continue 
them.  Every  one  who  knew  Sir  Richard  Steele  in 
his  Prosperity  (before  the  Effects  of  his  Good-nature 
had  brought  him  to  Distresses)  knew  that  this  was 


RICHARD        STEELE 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  173 

his  manner  of  dealing  with  his  Friends  in  Business  : 
Another  Instance  of  the  same  nature  will  immediately 
fall  in  my  way. 

When  we  proposed  to  put  this  Agreement  into 
Writing,  he  desired  us  not  to  hurry  ourselves;  for 
that  he  was  advised,  upon  the  late  Desertion  of  our 
Actors,  to  get  our  License  (which  only  subsisted 
during  Pleasure)  enlarg'd  into  a  more  ample  and 
durable  Authority,  and  which  he  said  he  had  Reason 
to  think  would  be  more  easily  obtain'd,  if  we  were 
willing  that  a  Patent  for  the  same  Purpose  might  be 
granted  to  him  only,  for  his  Life  and  three  Years 
after,  which  he  would  then  assign  over  to  us.  This 
was  a  Prospect  beyond  our  Hopes ;  and  what  we 
had  long  wish'd  for ;  for  though  I  cannot  say  we 
had  ever  Reason  to  grieve  at  the  Personal  Severities 
or  Behaviour  of  any  one  Lord-Chamberlain  in  my 
Time,  yet  the  several  Officers  under  them  who  had 
not  the  Hearts  of  Noblemen,  often  treated  us  (to 
use  Shakespeare  Expression)  with  all  the  Insolence 
of  Office  that  narrow  Minds  are  apt  to  be  elated 
with ;  but  a  Patent,  we  knew,  would  free  us  from  so 
abject  a  State  of  Dependency.  Accordingly,  we 
desired  Sir  Richard  to  lose  no  time  ;  he  was  imme 
diately  promised  it :  In  the  Interim,  we  sounded  the 
Inclination  of  the  Actors  remaining  with  us ;  who 
had  all  Sense  enough  to  know,  that  the  Credit  and 
Reputation  we  stood  in  with  the  Town,  could  not 
but  be  a  better  Security  for  their  Sallaries,  than  the 
Promise  of  any  other  Stage  put  into  Bonds  could 

II.  M 


174  THE  LIFE  °F 

make  good  to  them.  In  a  few  Days  after,  Sir 
Richard  told,  us,  that  his  Majesty  being  apprised  that 
others  had  a  joint  Power  with  him  in  the  License,  it 
was  expected  we  should,  under  our  Hands,  signify 
that  his  Petition  for  a  Patent  was  preferr'd  by  the 
Consent  of  us  all.  Such  an  Acknowledgment  was 
immediately  sign'd,  and  the  Patent  thereupon  pass'd 
the  Great  Seal ;  for  which  I  remember  the  Lord 
Chancellor  Cooper,  in  Compliment  to  Sir  Richard, 
would  receive  no  Fee. 

We  receiv'd  the  Patent  January  19,  1715,*  and 
(Sir  Richard  being  obliged  the  next  Morning  to  set 
out  for  B^lrrowbridge  in  Yorkshire,  where  he  was 
soon  after  elected  Member  of  Parliament)  we  were 
forced  that  very  Night  to  draw  up  in  a  hurry  ('till  our 
Counsel  might  more  adviseably  perfect  it)  his  Assign 
ment  to  us  of  equal  Shares  in  the  Patent,  with  far 
ther  Conditions  of  Partnership  : 2  But  here  I  ought 
to  take  Shame  to  myself,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
give  this  second  Instance  of  the  Equity  and  Honour 
of  Sir  Richard:  For  this  Assignment  (which  I  had 
myself  the  hasty  Penning  of)  was  so  worded,  that  it 
gave  Sir  Richard  as  equal  a  Title  to  our  Property 

1  In  both  the  first  and  second  editions  Gibber  writes  1718,  but 
this  is  so  obviously  a  misprint  that  I  correct  the  text.     Steele  was 
elected  for  Boroughbridge  in  the  first  Parliament  of  George  I., 
which  met  i5th  March,  1715. 

2  "The  very  night  I  received  it,  I  participated  the  power  and 
use  of  it,  with  relation  to  the  profits  that   should  arise  from  it, 
between   the  gentlemen   who   invited  me  into  the  Licence.? — 
Steele,  in  "The  Theatre,"  No.  8  [Nichols,  p.  64]. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  175 

as  it  had  given  us  to  his  Authority  in  the  Patent : 
But  Sir  Richard,  notwithstanding,  when  he  return'd 
to  Town,  took  no  Advantage  of  the  Mistake,  and 
consented  in  our  second  Agreement  to  pay  us  Twelve 
Hundred  Pounds  to  be  equally  intitled  to  our  Pro 
perty,  which  at  his  Death  we  were  obliged  to  repay 
(as  we  afterwards  did)  to  his  Executors ;  and  which, 
in  case  any  of  us  had  died  before  him,  the  Survivors 
were  equally  obliged  to  have  paid  to  the  Executors 
of  such  deceased  Person  upon  the  same  Account. 
But  Sir  Richard's  Moderation  with  us  was  rewarded 
with  the  Reverse  of  Colliers  Stiffness  :  Collier,  by 
insisting  on  his  Pension,  lost  Three  Hundred  Pounds 
a  Year ;  and  Sir  Richard,  by  his  accepting  a  Share 
in  lieu  of  it,  was,  one  Year  with  another,  as  much  a 
Gainer. 

The  Grant  of  this  Patent  having  assured  us  of  a 
competent  Term  to  be  relied  on,  we  were  now  em 
boldened  to  lay  out  larger  Sums  in  the  Decorations 
of  our  Plays : 1  Upon  the  Revival  of  Drydens  All 
for  Love,  the  Habits  of  that  Tragedy  amounted  to 
an  Expence  of  near  Six  Hundred  Pounds;  a  Sum 
unheard  of,  for  many  Years  before,  on  the  like  Occa- 


1  The  managers  also  expended  money  on  the  decoration  of  the 
theatre  before  the  beginning  of  the  next  season  after  the  Patent 
was  granted.  In  the  "Daily  Courant,"  6th  October,  1715,  they 
advertise :  "  His  Majesty's  Company  of  Comedians  give  Notice, 
That  the  Middle  of  next  Week  they  will  begin  to  act  Plays,  every 
day,  as  usual ;  they  being  oblig'd  to  lye  still  so  long,  to  finish 
the  New  Decorations  of  the  House." 


J 


176  THE    LIFE    OF 

sions.1  But  we  thought  such  extraordinary  Marks 
of  our  Acknowledgment  were  due  to  the  Favours 
which  the  Publick  were  now  again  pouring  in  upon 
us.  About  this  time  we  were  so  much  in  fashion,  and 
follow'd,  that  our  Enemies  (who  they  were  it  would 
not  be  fair  to  guess,  for  we  never  knew  them)  made 
their  Push  of  a  good  round  Lye  upon  us,  to  terrify 
those  Auditors  from  our  Support  whom  they  could 
not  mislead  by  their  private  Arts  or  publick  Invec 
tives.  A  current  Report  that  the  Walls  and  Roof 
of  our  House  were  liable  to  fall,  had  got  such  Ground 
in  the  Town,  that  on  a  sudden  we  found  our 
Audiences  unusually  decreased  by  it :  Wilks  was 
immediately  for  denouncing  War  and  Vengeance  on 
the  Author  of  this  Falshood,  and  for  offering  a 
Reward  to  whoever  could  discover  him.  But  it  was 
thought  more  necessary  first  to  disprove  the  Falshood, 
and  then  to  pay  what  Compliments  might  be  thought 

1  This  revival  was  on  2nd  December,  1718.  Dennis,  whose 
"Invader  of  his  Country"  was,  as  he  considered,  unfairly  post 
poned  on  account  of  this  production,  wrote  to  Steele  : — 

"  Well,  Sir,  when  the  winter  came  on,  what  was  done  by  your 
Deputies?  Why,  instead  of  keeping  their  word  with  me,  they 
spent  above  two  months  of  the  season  in  getting  up  "  All  for 
Love,  or,  the  World  well  Lost,"  a  Play  which  has  indeed  a  noble 
first  act,  an  act  which  ends  with  a  scene  becoming  of  the  dignity 
of  the  Tragic  Stage.  But  if  HORACE  had  been  now  alive,  and 
been  either  a  reader  or  spectator  of  that  entertainment,  he  would 
have  passed  his  old  sentence  upon  the  Author. 

'  Infelix  operis  summa^  quiaponere  totum 
Nesriet:"     \Ars  Poetica,  34.] 

Nichols'  "  Theatre,"  p.  544. 


MR.   COLLEY   GIBBER.  177 

adviseable  to  the  Author.  Accordingly  an  Order 
from  the  King  was  obtained,  to  have  our  Tenement 
surveyed  by  Sir  Thomas  Hewet,  then  the  proper 
Officer;  whose  Report  of  its  being  in  a  safe  and 
sound  Condition,  and  sign'd  by  him,  was  publish' d 
in  every  News-Paper.1  This  had  so  immediate  an 
Effect,  that  our  Spectators,  whose  Apprehensions 
had  lately  kept  them  absent,  now  made  up  our 
Losses  by  returning  to  us  with  a  fresh  Inclination 
and  in  greater  Numbers. 

When  it  was  first  publickly  known  that  the  New 

1  Gibber  here  skips  a  few  years,  for  the  report  by  Sir  Thomas 
Hewitt  is  dated  some  years  after  the  granting  of  the  Patent.  The 
text  of  it  will  be  found  in  Nichols's  "Theatre,"  p.  470  : — 

"Mv  LORD,  Scotland-yard,  Jan.  21,  1721. 

"  In  obedience  to  his  Majesty's  commands  signified  to  me  by 
your  Grace  the  i8th  instant,  I  have  surveyed  the  Play-house  in 
Drury-lane;  and  took  with  me  Mr.  RIPLEY,  Commissioner  of 
his  Majesty's  Board  of  Works,  the  Master  Bricklayer,  and  Car 
penter  :  We  examined  all  its  parts  with  the  greatest  exactness  we 
could ;  and  found  the  Walls,  Roofing,  Stage,  Pit,  Boxes,  Galleries, 
Machinery,  Scenes,  &c.  sound,  and  almost  as  good  as  when  first 
built ;  neither  decayed,  nor  in  the  least  danger  of  falling ;  and 
when  some  small  repairs  are  made,  and  an  useless  Stack  of  Chim- 
nies  (built  by  the  late  Mr.  RICH)  taken  down,  the  Building  may 
continue  for  a  long  time,  being  firm,  the  Materials  and  Joints 
good,  and  no  part  giving  way ;  and  capable  to  bear  much  greater 
weight  than  is  put  on  them. 

"  MY  LORD  DUKE, 
"  Your  GRACE'S  Most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

"THOMAS  HEWETT. 

"  N.B.  The  Stack  of  Chimnies  mentioned  in  this  Report  (which 
were  placed  over  the  Sjpne  Passage  leading  to  the  Boxes)  are 
actually  taken  down." 


178  THE    LIFE    OF 

Theatre  would  be  open'd  against  us ;  I  cannot  help 
going  a  little  back  to  remember  the  Concern  that  my 
Brother-Menagers  expressed  at  what  might  be  the 
Consequences  of  it.  They  imagined  that  now  all 
those  who  wish'd  111  to  us,  and  particularly  a  great 
Party  who  had  been  disobliged  by  our  shutting  them 
out  from  behind  our  Scenes,  even  to  the  Refusal  of 
their  Money,1  would  now  exert  themselves  in  any 
partial  or  extravagant  Measures  that  might  either 
hurt  us  or  support  our  Competitors  :  These,  too,  were 
some  of  those  farther  Reasons  which  had  discouraged 
them  from  running  the  hazard  of  continuing  to  Sir 
Richard  Steele  the  same  Pension  which  had  been 
paid  to  Collier.  Upon  all  which  I  observed  to  them, 
that,  for  my  own  Part,  I  had  not  the  same  Appre 
hensions  ;  but  that  I  foresaw  as  many  good  as  bad 
Consequences  from  two  Houses :  That  tho'  the 
Novelty  might  possibly  at  first  abate  a  little  of  our 
Profits  ;  yet,  if  we  slackened  not  our  Industry,  that 
Loss  would  be  amply  balanced  by  an  equal  Increase 
of  our  Ease  and  Quiet :  That  those  turbulent  Spirits 
which  were  always  molesting  us,  would  now  have 
other  Employment :  That  the  question'd  Merit  of 
our  Acting  would  now  stand  in  a  clearer  Light  when 
others  were  faintly  compared  to  us  :  That  though 
Faults  might  be  found  with  the  best  Actors  that  ever 
were,  yet  the  egregious  Defects  that  would  appear  in 
others  would  now  be  the  effectual  means  to  make  our 
Superiority  shine,  if  we  had  any  Pretence  to  it :  And 
1  See  ante,  vol.  i.  p.  234. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  179 

that  what  some  People  hoped  might  ruin  us,  would 
in  the  end  reduce  them  to  give  up  the  Dispute,  and 
reconcile  them  to  those  who  could  best  entertain 
them. 

In  every  Article  of  this  Opinion  they  afterwards 
found  I  had  not  been  deceived ;  and  the  Truth  of  it 
may  be  so  well  remember'd  by  many  living  Spectators, 
that  it  would  be  too  frivolous  and  needless  a  Boast 
to  give  it  any  farther  Observation. 

But  in  what  I  have  said  I  would  not  be  understood 
to  be  an  Advocate  for  two  Play-houses :  For  we 
shall  soon  find  that  two  Sets  of  Actors  tolerated  in 
the  same  Place  have  constantly  ended  in  the  Cor 
ruption  of  the  Theatre ;  of  which  the  auxiliary  En 
tertainments  that  have  so  barbarously  supply'd  the 
Defects  of  weak  Action  have,  for  some  Years  past, 
been  a  flagrant  Instance ;  it  may  not,  therefore,  be 
here  improper  to  shew  how  our  childish  Pantomimes 
first  came  to  take  so  gross  a  Possession  of  the  Stage. 

I  have  upon  several  occasions  already  observ'd, 
that  when  one  Company  is  too  hard  for  another,  the 
lower  in  Reputation  has  always  been  forced  to  exhibit 
some  new-fangled  Foppery  to  draw  the  Multitude 
after  them  :  Of  these  Expedients,  Singing  and  Danc 
ing  had  formerly  been  the  most  effectual ; l  but,  at 
the  Time  I  am  speaking  of,  our  English  Musick  had 

1  Gibber,  vol.  i.  p.  94,  relates  hov/,  when  the  King's  Company 
proved  too  strong  for  their  rivals,  Davenant,  "to  make  head 
against  their  Success,  was  forced  to  add  Spectacle  and  Music  to 
Action." 


l8o  THE    LIFE    OF 

been  so  discountenanced  since  the  Taste  of  Italian 
Operas  prevail'd,  that  it  was  to  no  purpose  to  pretend 
to  it.1  Dancing  therefore  was  now  the  only  Weight 
in  the  opposite  Scale,  and  as  the  New  Theatre  some 
times  found  their  Account  in  it,  it  could  not  be  safe 
for  us  wholly  to  neglect  it.  To  give  even  Dancing 
therefore  some  Improvement,  and  to  make  it  some 
thing  more  than  Motion  without  Meaning,  the  Fable 
of  Mars  and  Venus2  was  form'd  into  a  connected 
Presentation  of  Dances  in  Character,  wherein  the 
Passions  were  so  happily  expressed,  and  the  whole 
Story  so  intelligibly  told  by  a  mute  Narration  of 
Gesture  only,  that  even  thinking  Spectators  allow'd 
it  both  a  pleasing  and  a  rational  Entertainment ; 
though,  at  the  same  time,  from  our  Distrust  of  its 
Reception,  we  durst  not  venture  to  decorate  it  with 
any  extraordinary  Expence  of  Scenes  or  Habits  ;  but 
upon  the  Success  of  this  Attempt  it  was  rightly  con 
cluded,  that  if  a  visible  Expence  in  both  were  added 
to  something  of  the  same  Nature,  it  could  not  fail  of 
drawing  the  Town  proportionably  after  it.  From 
this  original  Hint  then  (but  every  way  unequal  to  it) 
sprung  forth  that  Succession  of  monstrous  Medlies 
that  have  so  long  infested  the  Stage,  and  which 
arose  upon  one  another  alternately,  at  both  Houses 

1  In  the  season  1718-19,  Rich  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  frequently 
produced  French  pieces  and  operas.  He  must  have  had  a  com 
pany  of  French  players  engaged. 

3  This  is,  no  doubt,  John  Weaver's  dramatic  entertainment 
called  "  The  Loves  of  Mars  and  Venus,"  which  was  published,  as 
acted  at  Drury  Lane,  in  1717. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  l8l 

outvying  in  Expence,  like  contending  Bribes  on  both 
sides  at  an  Election,  to  secure  a  Majority  of  the 
Multitude.  But  so  it  is,  Truth  may  complain  and 
Merit  murmur  with  what  Justice  it  may,  the  Few 
will  never  be  a  Match  for  the  Many,  unless  Authority 
should  think  fit  to  interpose  and  put  down  these 
Poetical  Drams,  these  Gin-shops  of  the  Stage,  that 
intoxicate  its  Auditors  and  dishonour  their  Under 
standing  with  a  Levity  for  which  I  want  a  Name.1 

If  I  am  ask'd  (after  my  condemning  these  Fooleries 
myself)  how  I  came  to  assent  or  continue  my  Share 
of  Expence  to  them  ?  I  have  no  better  Excuse  for 

1  The  following  lines  ("Dunciad,"  iii.  verses  229-244)  are  descrip 
tive  of  such  pantomimes  as  Gibber  refers  to  : — 

"  He  look'd,  and  saw  a  sable  Sorc'rer  rise, 
Swift  to  whose  hand  a  winged  volume  flies  : 
All  sudden,  Gorgons  hiss,  and  dragons  glare, 
And  ten-horn'd  fiends  and  giants  rush  to  war. 
Hell  rises,  Heav'n  descends,  and  dance  on  Earth, 
Gods,  imps,  and  monsters,  music,  rage,  and  mirth, 
A  fire,  a  jig,  a  battle,  and  a  ball, 
Till  one  wide  conflagration  swallows  all. 

Thence  a  new  world,  to  nature's  laws  unknown, 
Breaks  out  refulgent,  with  a  heav'n  its  own : 
Another  Cynthia  her  new  journey  runs, 
And  other  planets  circle  other  suns : 
The  forests  dance,  the  rivers  upward  rise, 
Whales  sport  in  woods,  and  dolphins  in  the  skies, 
And  last,  to  give  the  whole  creation  grace, 
Lo  !  one  vast  Egg  produces  human  race." 

The  allusion  in  the  last  line  is  to  "Harlequin  Sorcerer,"  in 
which  Harlequin  is  hatched  from  a  large  egg  on  the  stage.  See 
Jackson's  "  History  of  the  Scottish  Stage,"  pages  367-8,  for  descrip 
tion  of  John  Rich's  excellence  in  this  scene. 


1 82  THE    LIFE    OF 

my  Error  than  confessing  it.  I  did  it  against  my 
Conscience  !  and  had  not  Virtue  enough  to  starve 
by  opposing  a  Multitude  that  would  have  been  too 
hard  for  me.1  Now  let  me  ask  an  odd  Question  : 
Had  Harry  the  Fourth  of  France  a  better  Excuse 
for  changing  his  Religion  ?2  I  was  still,  in  my  Heart, 
as  much  as  he  could  be,  on  the  side  of  Truth  and 
Sense,  but  with  this  difference,  that  I  had  their  leave 
to  quit  them  when  they  could  not  support  me :  For 
what  Equivalent  could  I  have  found  for  my  falling  a 
Martyr  to  them  ?  How  far  the  Heroe  or  the  Co 
median  was  in  the  wrong,  let  the  Clergy  and  the 
Criticks  decide.  Necessity  will  be  as  good  a  Plea 
for  the  one  as  the  other.  But  let  the  Question  go 
which  way  it  will,  Harry  IV.  has  always  been  allow'd 
a  great  Man  :  And  what  I  want  of  his  Grandeur, 
you  see  by  the  Inference,  Nature  has  amply  supply'd 
to  me  in  Vanity ;  a  Pleasure  which  neither  the  Pert- 
ness  of  Wit  or  the  Gravity  of  Wisdom  will  ever  per 
suade  me  to  part  with.  And  why  is  there  not  as 

1  In  the  "Dunciad"  (book  iii.  verses  261-4)  Pope  writes: — 

"  But  lo  !  to  dark  encounter  in  mid  air 
New  wizards  rise  :  here  Booth,  and  Gibber  there  : 
Booth  in  his  cloudy  tabernacle  shrin'd, 
On  grinning  Dragons  Gibber  mounts  the  wind." 
On  these  lines  Gibber  remarks,  in  his  "Letter  to  Mr.  Pope,"  1742 
(page  37) :  "  If  you,  figuratively,  mean  by  this,  that  I  was  an  En- 
courager  of  those  Fooleries,  you  are  mistaken ;  for  it  is  not  true  : 
If  you  intend  it  literally,  that  I  was  Dunce  enough  to  mount  a 
Machine,  there  is  as  little  Truth  in  that  too." 

2  Henry  of  Navarre,  of  whom  it  has  been  said  that  he  regarded 
religion  mainly  as  a  diplomatic  instrument. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  183 

much  Honesty  in  owning  as  in  concealing  it  ?     For 
though  to  hide  it  may  be  Wisdom,  to  be  without  it 
is  impossible ;  and  where  is  the  Merit  of  keeping  a 
Secret  which  every  Body  is  let  into  ?     To  say  we 
have  no  Vanity,  then,  is  shewing  a  great  deal  of  it ; 
as  to  say  we  have  a  great  deal  cannot  be  shewing  so 
much  :  And  tho'  there  may  be  Art  in  a  Man's  accus 
ing  himself,  even  then  it  will  be  more  pardonable 
than  Self-commendation.     Do  not  we  find  that  even 
good  Actions  have  their  Share  of  it  ?  that  it  is  as 
inseparable  from  our  Being  as  our  Nakedness  ?   And 
though  it  may  be  equally  decent  to  cover  it,  yet  the 
wisest  Man  can  no  more  be  without  it,   than  the 
weakest  can  believe  he  was  born  in  his  Cloaths.     If 
then  what  we  say  of  ourselves  be  true,  and  not  preju 
dicial  to  others,  to  be  called  vain  upon  it  is  no  more 
a  Reproach  than  to  be  called  a  brown  or  a  fair  Man. 
Vanity  is  of  all  Complexions ;    'tis  the  growth   of 
every  Clime  and  Capacity  ;  Authors  of  all  Ages  have 
had   a  Tincture   of  it ;    and  yet  you  read  Horace, 
Montaign,  and  Sir   William  Temple,  with  Pleasure. 
Nor  am  I  sure,  if  it  were  curable  by  Precept,  that 
Mankind  would  be  mended  by  it !     Could  Vanity  be 
eradicated  from  our  Nature,  I  am  afraid  that  the 
Reward  of  most  human  Virtues  would  not  be  found 
in  this  World  !    And  happy  is  he  who  has  no  greater 
Sin  to  answer  for  in  the  next ! 

But  what  is  all  this  to  the  Theatrical  Follies  I  was 
talking  of  ?  Perhaps  not  a  great  deal ;  but  it  is  to 
my  Purpose ;  for  though  I  am  an  Historian,  I  do  not 


184  THE    LIFE    OF 

write  to  the  Wise  and  Learned  only  ;  I  hope  to  have 
Readers  of  no  more  Judgment  than  some  of  my 
quondam  Auditors ;  and  I  am  afraid  they  will  be  as 
hardly  contented  with  dry  Matters  of  Fact,  as  with  a 
plain  Play  without  Entertainments  :  This  Rhapsody, 
therefore,  has  been  thrown  in  as  a  Dance  between 
the  Acts,  to  make  up  for  the  Dullness  of  what  would 
have  been  by  itself  only  proper.  But  I  now  come 
to  my  Story  again. 

Notwithstanding,  then,  this  our  Compliance  with 
the  vulgar  Taste,  we  generally  made  use  of  these 
Pantomimes  but  as  Crutches  to  our  weakest  Plays : 
Nor  were  we  so  lost  to  all  Sense  of  what  was  valuable 
as  to  dishonour  our  best  Authors  in  such  bad  Com 
pany  :  We  had  still  a  due  Respect  to  several  select 
Plays  that  were  able  to  be  their  own  Support;  and  in 
which  we  found  our  constant  Account,  without  paint 
ing  and  patching  them  out,  like  Prostitutes,  with 
these  Follies  in  fashion  :  If  therefore  we  were  not  so 
strictly  chaste  in  the  other  part  of  our  Conduct,  let 
the  Error  of  it  stand  among  the  silly  Consequences 
of  Two  Stages.  Could  the  Interest  of  both  Com 
panies  have  been  united  in  one  only  Theatre,  I  had 
been  one  of  the  Few  that  would  have  us'd  my  utmost 
Endeavour  of  never  admitting  to  the  Stage  any 
Spectacle  that  ought  not  to  have  been  seen  there; 
the  Errors  of  my  own  Plays,  which  I  could  not  see, 
excepted.  And  though  probably  the  Majority  of 
Spectators  would  not  have  been  so  well  pleas'd  with 
a  Theatre  so  regulated  ;  yet  Sense  and  Reason  cannot 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  185 

lose  their  intrinsick  Value  because  the  Giddy  and  the 
Ignorant  are  blind  and  deaf,  or  numerous  ;  and  I  can 
not  help  saying,  it  is  a  Reproach  to  a  sensible  People 
to  let  Folly  so  publickly  govern  their  Pleasures. 

While  I  am  making  this  grave  Declaration  of 
what  I  would  have  done  had  One  only  Stage  been 
continued  ;  to  obtain  an  easier  Belief  of  my  Sincerity 
I  ought  to  put  my  Reader  in  mind  of  what  I  did  do, 
even  after  Two  Companies  were  again  established. 

About  this  Time  Jacobitism  had  lately  exerted 
itself  by  the  most  unprovoked  Rebellion  that  our 
Histories  have  handed  down  to  us  since  the  Norman 
Conquest : *  I  therefore  thought  that  to  set  the 
Authors  and  Principles  of  that  desperate  Folly  in  a 
fair  Light,  by  allowing  the  mistaken  Consciences  of 
some  their  best  Excuse,  and  by  making  the  artful 
Pretenders  to  Conscience  as  ridiculous  as  they  were 
ungratefully  wicked,  was  a  Subject  fit  for  the  honest 
Satire  of  Comedy,  and  what  might,  if  it  succeeded, 
do  Honour  to  the  Stage  by  shewing  the  valuable 
Use  of  it.2  And  considering  what  Numbers  at  that 

1  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  note  that  this  was  the  Scottish  Rebel 
lion  of  1715;  yet  Bellchambers  indicates  the  period  as  1718. 

2  Gibber's  most  notorious  play,  "  The  Nonjuror,"  was  produced 
at  Drury  Lane  on  6th  December,  1717.     The  cast  was : — 

SIR  JOHN  WOODVIL Mr.  Mills. 

COLONEL  WOODVIL Mr.  Booth. 

MR.  HEARTLY Mr.  Wilks. 

DOCTOR  WOLF Mr.  Gibber. 

CHARLES Mr.  Walker. 

LADY  WOODVIL Mrs.  Porter. 

MARIA     .     .          .  Mrs.  Oldfield. 


1 86  THE    LIFE    OF 

time  might  come  to  it  as  prejudiced  Spectators,  it 
may  be  allow'd  that  the  Undertaking  was  not  less 
hazardous  than  laudable. 

To  give  Life,  therefore,  to  this  Design,  I  bor- 
row'd  the  Tartuffe  of  Moliere,  and  turn'd  him  into  a 
modern  Nonjuror : *  Upon  the  Hypocrisy  of  the 
French  Character  I  ingrafted  a  stronger  Wicked 
ness,  that  of  an  English  Popish  Priest  lurking  under 
the  Doctrine  of  our  own  Church  to  raise  his  Fortune 
upon  the  Ruin  of  a  worthy  Gentleman,  whom  his 
dissembled  Sanctity  had  seduc'd  into  the  treasonable 
Cause  of  a  Roman  Catholick  Out-law.  How  this 
Design,  in  the  Play,  was  executed,  I  refer  to  the 
Readers  of  it ;  it  cannot  be  mended  by  any  critical 
Remarks  I  can  make  in  its  favour :  Let  it  speak  for 
itself.  All  the  Reason  I  had  to  think  it  no  bad  Per 
formance  was,  that  it  was  acted  eighteen  Days 
running,2  and  that  the  Party  that  were  hurt  by  it  (as 
I  have  been  told)  have  not  been  the  smallest  Num 
ber  of  my  back  Friends  ever  since.  But  happy  was 
it  for  this  Play  that  the  very  Subject  was  its  Protec 
tion  ;  a  few  Smiles  of  silent  Contempt  were  the 
utmost  Disgrace  that  on  the  first  Day  of  its  Appear 
ance  it  was  thought  safe  to  throw  upon  it ;  as  the 

1  Genest  (ii.  615)  quotes  the  Epilogue  to  Sewell's  "Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,"  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  i6th  January,  1719  : — 

"  Yet  to  write  plays  is  easy,  faith,  enough, 
As  you  have  seen  by — Gibber — in  Tartuffe. 
With  how  much  wit  he  did  your  hearts  engage  ! 
He  only  stole  the  play  ; — he  writ  the  title-page." 

2  Genest  says  it  was  acted  twenty-three  times. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 87 

Satire  was  chiefly  employ'd  on  the  Enemies  of  the 
Government,  they  were  not  so  hardy  as  to  own 
themselves  such  by  any  higher  Disapprobation  or 
Resentment.  But  as  it  was  then  probable  I  might 
write  again,  they  knew  it  would  not  be  long  before 
they  might  with  more  Security  give  a  Loose  to  their 
Spleen,  and  make  up  Accounts  with  me.  And  to  do 
them  Justice,  in  every  Play  I  afterwards  produced 
they  paid  me  the  Balance  to  a  Tittle.1  But  to  none 
was  I  more  beholden  than  that  celebrated  Author 
Mr.  Mist,  whose  Weekly  Journal?  for  about  fifteen 
Years  following,  scarce  ever  fail'd  of  passing  some  of 
his  Party  Compliments  upon  me  :  The  State  and  the 
Stage  were  his  frequent  Parallels,  and  the  Minister 
and  Minheer  Keiber  the  Menager  were  as  constantly 
droll'd  upon  :  Now,  for  my  own  Part,  though  I  could 
never  persuade  my  Wit  to  have  an  open  Account 
with  him  (for  as  he  had  no  Effects  of  his  own,  I  did 
not  think  myself  oblig'd  to  answer  his  Bills ;)  not- 

1  Genest  remarks  (ii.  616)  that  "Gibber  deserved  all  the  abuse 
and  enmity  that  he  met  with — the  Stage  and  the  Pulpit  ought 
NEVER  to  dabble  in  politics." 

Theo.  Gibber,  in  a  Petition  to  the  King,  given  in  his  "  Disserta 
tions"  (Letter  to  Garrick,  p.  29),  says  that  his  father's  "Writings, 
and  public  Professions  of  Loyalty,  created  him  many  Enemies, 
among  the  Disaffected." 

2  "  Mist's  Weekly  Journal "  was  an  anti-Hanoverian  sheet,  which 
was  prominent  in  opposition  to  the  Protestant  Succession.   Natha 
niel  Mist,  the  proprietor,  and,  I  suppose,  editor,  suffered  sundry 
pains  and  penalties  for  his  Jacobitism.     In  his  Preface  to  the 
second  volume  of  "  Letters "  selected  from  his  paper,  he  relates 
how  he  had,  among  other  things,  suffered  imprisonment  and  stood 
in  the  pillory. 


1 88  THE    LIFE    OF 

withstanding,  I  will  be  so  charitable  to  his  real 
Manes,  and  to  the  Ashes  of  his  Paper,  as  to  mention 
one  particular  Civility  he  paid  to  my  Memory,  after 
he  thought  he  had  ingeniously  kill'd  me.  Soon  after 
the  Nonjuror  had  receiv'd  the  Favour  of  the  Town, 
I  read  in  one  of  his  Journals  the  following  short 
Paragraph,  viz.  Yesterday  died  Mr.  Colley  Gibber, 
late  Comedian  of  the  Theatre-Royal,  notorious  for 
writing  the  Nonjuror.  The  Compliment  in  the 
latter  part  I  confess  I  did  not  dislike,  because  it 
came  from  so  impartial  a  Judge ;  and  it  really  so 
happen'd  that  the  former  part  of  it  was  very  near 
being  true ;  for  I  had  that  very  Day  just  crawled 
out,  after  having  been  some  Weeks  laid  up  by  a 
Fever  :  However,  I  saw  no  use  in  being  thought  to 
be  thoroughly  dead  before  my  Time,  and  therefore 
had  a  mind  to  see  whether  the  Town  cared  to  have 
me  alive  again  :  So  the  Play  of  the  Orphan  being 
to  be  acted  that  Day,  I  quietly  stole  myself  into  the 
Part  of  the  Chaplain,  which  I  had  not  been  seen 
in  for  many  Years  before.  The  Surprize  of  the 
Audience  at  my  unexpected  Appearance  on  the  very 
Day  I  had  been  dead  in  the  News,  and  the  Paleness 
of  my  Looks,  seem'd  to  make  it  a  Doubt  whether 
I  was  not  the  Ghost  of  my  real  Self  departed  :  But 
when  I  spoke,  their  Wonder  eas'd  itself  by  an 
Applause ;  which  convinced  me  they  were  then  satis 
fied  that  my  Friend  Mist  had  told  a  Fib  of  me. 
Now,  if  simply  to  have  shown  myself  in  broad  Life, 
and  about  my  Business,  after  he  had  notoriously 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  189 

reported  me  dead,  can  be  called  a  Reply,  it  was  the 
only  one  which  his  Paper  while  alive  ever  drew  from 
me.  How  far  I  may  be  vain,  then,  in  supposing  that 
this  Play  brought  me  into  the  Disfavour  of  so  many 
Wits1  and  valiant  Auditors  as  afterwards  appear'd 
against  me,  let  those  who  may  think  it  worth  their 
Notice  judge.  In  the  mean  time,  'till  I  can  find  a  better 
Excuse  for  their  sometimes  particular  Treatment  of 
me,  I  cannot  easily  give  up  my  Suspicion  :  And  if  I 
add  a  more  remarkable  Fact,  that  afterwards  con- 
firm'd  me  in  it,  perhaps  it  may  incline  others  to  join 
in  my  Opinion. 

On  the  first  Day  of  the  ProvoKd  Husband,  ten 
Years  after  the  Nonjuror  had  appear'd,2  a  powerful 
Party,  not  having  the  Fear  of  publick  Offence  or 
private  Injury  before  their  Eyes,  appear'd  most  im 
petuously  concern'd  for  the  Demolition  of  it;  in 
which  they  so  far  succeeded,  that  for  some  Time  I 
gave  it  up  for  lost ;  and  to  follow  their  Blows,  in  the 
publick  Papers  of  the  next  Day  it  was  attack'd  and 
triumph'd  over  as  a  dead  and  damn'd  Piece ;  a 
swinging  Criticism  was  made  upon  it  in  general 
invective  Terms,  for  they  disdain'd  to  trouble  the 

1  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  "  Nonjuror"  was  one  of  the 
causes  of  Pope's  enmity  to  Gibber.  Pope's  father  was  a  Non- 
juror.  See  "  Epistle  to  Dr.  Arbuthnot,"  where  the  poet  says  of 
his  father : — 

"  No  courts  he  saw,  no  suits  would  ever  try, 
Nor  dar'd  an  oath,  nor  hazarded  a  lie." 

2  Produced  loth  January,  1728.  See  vol.  i.  p.  311,  for  list  of 
characters,  &c. 

II.  N 


THE    LIFE    OF 

World  with  Particulars ;  their  Sentence,  it  seems, 
was  Proof  enough  of  its  deserving  the  Fate  it  had 
met  with.  But  this  damn'd  Play  was,  notwithstand 
ing,  acted  twenty-eight  Nights  together,  and  left  off 
at  a  Receipt  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  and  forty 
Pounds  ;  which  happen'd  to  be  more  than  in  fifty 
Years  before  could  be  then  said  of  any  one  Play 
whatsoever. 

Now,  if  such  notable  Behaviour  could  break  out 
upon  so  successful  a  Play  (which  too,  upon  the  Share 
Sir  John  Vanbrugh  had  in  it,  I  will  venture  to  call 
a  good  one)  what  shall  we  impute  it  to  ?  Why  may 
not  I  plainly  say,  it  was  not  the  Play,  but  Me,  who 
had  a  Hand  in  it,  they  did  not  like  ?  And  for  what 
Reason  ?  if  they  were  not  asham'd  of  it,  why  did  not 
they  publish  it?  No!  the  Reason  had  publish'd 
itself,  I  was  the  Author  of  the  Nonjuror!  But, 
perhaps,  of  all  Authors,  I  ought  not  to  make  this 
sort  of  Complaint,  because  I  have  Reason  to  think 
that  that  particular  Offence  has  made  me  more 
honourable  Friends  than  Enemies  ;  the  latter  of  which 
I  am  not  unwilling  should  know  (however  unequal  the 
Merit  may  be  to  the  Reward)  that  Part  of  the  Bread  I 
now  eat  was  given  me  for  having  writ  the  Nonjuror^ 

And  yet  I  cannot  but  lament,  with  many  quiet 
Spectators,  the  helpless  Misfortune  that  has  so  many 
Years  attended  the  Stage !  That  no  Law  has  had 
Force  enough  to  give  it  absolute  Protection !  for 

1  Meaning,  no  doubt,  that  the  post  of  Poet  Laureate  was  given 
to  him  as  a  reward  for  his  services  to  the  Government. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER. 

'till  we  can  civilize  its  Auditors,  the  Authors  that 
write  for  it  will  seldom  have  a  greater  Call  to  it  than 
Necessity ;  and  how  unlikely  is  the  Imagination  of 
the  Needy  to  inform  or  delight  the  Many  in  Af 
fluence  ?  or  how  often  does  Necessity  make  many 
unhappy  Gentlemen  turn  Authors  in  spite  of  Nature  ? 

What  a  Blessing,  therefore,  is  it !  what  an  enjoy' d 
Deliverance !  after  a  Wretch  has  been  driven  by 
Fortune  to  stand  so  many  wanton  Buffets  of  unmanly 
Fierceness,  to  find  himself  at  last  quietly  lifted  above 
the  Reach  of  them ! 

But  let  not  this  Reflection  fall  upon  my  Auditors 
without  Distinction  ;  for  though  Candour  and  Bene 
volence  are  silent  Virtues,  they  are  as  visible  as  the 
most  vociferous  Ill-nature ;  and  I  confess  the  Pub- 
lick  has  given  me  more  frequently  Reason  to  be 
thankful  than  to  complain. 


I 


v 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Author  steps  out  of  his  Way.  Pleads  his  Theatrical  Cause  in 
Chancery.  Carries  it.  Plays  acted  at  Hampton-Court.  Thea 
trical  Anecdotes  informer  Reigns.  Ministers  and  Menagers  always 
censur'd.  The  Difficulty  of  supplying  the  Stage  with  good  Actors 
considered.  Courtiers  and  Comedians  governed  by  the  same  Pas 
sions.  Examples  of  both.  The  Author  quits  the  Stage.  Why. 

HAVING  brought  the  Government  of  the  Stage 
through  such  various  Changes  and  Revolu 
tions,  to  this  settled  State  in  which  it  continued  to 
almost  the  Time  of  my  leaving  it;1  it  cannot  be  sup- 
pos'd  that  a  Period  of  so  much  Quiet  and  so  long  a 
Train  of  Success  (though  happy  for  those  who  enjoy'd 

1  1733- 


THE    LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  193 

it)  can  afford  such  Matter  of  Surprize  or  Amusement, 
as  might  arise  from  Times  of  more  Distress  and 
Disorder.  A  quiet  Time  in  History,  like  a  Calm  in 
a  Voyage,  leaves  us  but  in  an  indolent  Station  :  To 
talk  of  our  Affairs  when  they  were  no  longer  ruffled 
by  Misfortunes,  would  be  a  Picture  without  Shade, 
a  flat  Performance  at  best.  As  I  might,  therefore, 
throw  all  that  tedious  Time  of  our  Tranquillity  into 
one  Chasm  in  my  History,  and  cut  my  Way  short 
at  once  to  my  last  Exit  from  the  Stage,  I  shall  at 
least  fill  it  up  with  such  Matter  only  as  I  have  a 
mind  should  be  known,1  how  few  soever  may  have 

1  In  leaping  from  1717  to  1728,  as  Gibber  does  here,  he  omits 
to  notice  much  that  is  of  the  greatest  interest  in  stage  history. 
Steele's  connection  with  the  theatre  was  of  a  chequered  complexion, 
and  it  is  curious  as  well  as  regrettable  that  an  interested  observer 
like  Gibber  should  have  simply  ignored  the  great  points  which 
were  at  issue  while  Steele  was  a  sharer  in  the  Patent.  In  order 
to  bridge  over  the  chasm  I  give  a  bare  record  of  Steele's  transac 
tions  in  connection  with  the  Patent. 

His  first  authority  was  a  Licence  granted  to  him  and  his 
partners,  Wilks,  Gibber,  Dogget,  and  Booth,  and  dated  October 
1 8th,  1714.  This  was  followed  by  a  Patent,  in  Steele's  name 
alone,  for  the  term  of  his  life,  and  three  years  after  his  death, 
which  bore  date  January  igth,  1715.  Gibber  (p.  174)  relates  that 
Steele  assigned  to  Wilks,  Booth,  and  himself,  equal  shares  in  this 
Patent.  All  went  smoothly  for  more  than  two  years,  until  the 
appointment  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  (April  i3th,  1717)  as  Lord 
Chamberlain.  He  seems  soon  to  have  begun  to  interfere  in  the 
affairs  of  the  theatre.  Steele,  in  the  eighth  number  of  "The 
Theatre,"  states  that  shortly  after  his  appointment  the  Duke  de 
manded  that  he  should  resign  his  Patent  and  accept  a  Licence  in 
its  place.  This  Steele  naturally  and  rightly  declined  to  do,  and 
here  the  matter  rested  for  many  months.  With  reference  to  this 


194  THE  LIFE  OF 

Patience  to  read  it :  Yet,  as  I  despair  not  of  some 
Readers  who  may  be  most  awake  when  they  think 
others  have  most  occasion  to  sleep ;  who  may  be 
more  pleas'd  to  find  me  languid  than  lively,  or  in  the 

it  is  interesting  to  note  that  among  the  Lord  Chamberlain's 
Papers  is  the  record  of  a  consultation  of  the  Attorney-General 
whether  Steele's  Patent  made  him  independent  of  the  Lord 
Chamberlain's  authority.  Unfortunately  it  is  impossible  to  decide, 
from  the  terms  of  the  queries  put  to  the  Attorney-General,  whether 
these  were  caused  by  aggressive  action  on  Steele's  part,  or  merely 
by  his  defence  of  his  rights. 

The  next  molestation  was  an  order,  dated  December  ipth,  1719, 
addressed  to  Steele,  Wilks,  and  Booth,  ordering  them  to  dismiss 
Gibber ;  which  they  did.  His  suspension,  for  it  was  nothing  more, 
lasted  till  January  28th,  1720.  Steele,  in  the  seventh  number  of 
"The  Theatre,"  January  23rd,  1720,  alludes  to  his  suspension  as 
then  existing,  and  in  No.  12  talks  of  Gibber's  being  just  restored 
to  the  "  Begging  Bridge,"  that  is,  the  theatre.  The  allusion  is  to 
an  Apologue  by  Steele  ("Reader,"  No.  II.)  which  Gibber  quotes, 
and  applies  to  Steele,  in  his  Dedication  of  "  Ximena  "  to  him.  A 
peasant  had  succeeded  in  barricading,  with  his  whole  belongings, 
a  bridge  over  which  an  enemy  attempted  to  invade  his  native 
country.  He  kept  them  back  till  his  countrymen  were  roused ; 
but  when  the  forces  of  his  friends  attacked  the  enemy,  the  peasant's 
property  was  destroyed  in  the  fray  and  he  was  left  destitute.  He 
received  no  compensation,  but  it  was  enacted  that  he  and  his 
descendants  were  alone  to  have  the  privilege  of  begging  on  this 
bridge.  Gibber  applies  this  fable  to  the  treatment  of  Steele  by 
the  Lord  Chamberlain,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  Dedi 
cation  must  have  caused  great  offence  to  that  official,  and  contri 
buted  materially  to  Gibber's  suspension,  though  Steele  declared 
that  the  attack  upon  his  partner  was  merely  intended  as  an  oblique 
attack  on  himself.  The  author  of  the  "  Answer  to  the  Case  of 
Sir  Richard  Steele,"  1720  (Nichols's  ed.,  p.  532),  says  that  Gibber 
had  offended  the  Duke  by  an  attack  on  the  King  and  the  Ministry 
in  the  Dedication  of  his  " Ximena"  to  Steele.  He  also  says  that 
when  the  Chamberlain  wanted  a  certain  actor  to  play  a  part  which 
belonged  to  one  of  the  managers,  Gibber  flatly  refused  to  allow 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 95 

wrong  than  in  the  right ;  why  should  I  scruple  (when 
it  is  so  easy  a  Matter  too)  to  gratify  their  particular 
Taste  by  venturing  upon  any  Error  that  I  like,  or 
the  Weakness  of  my  Judgment  misleads  me  to  com- 

him,  and  was  thereupon  silenced.  (The  actor  is  said  to  have 
been  Elrington,  and  the  part  Torrismond ;  but  I  doubt  if  Elring- 
ton  was  at  Drury  Lane  in  1719-20.)  A  recent  stage  historian 
curiously  says  that  the  play  which  gave  offence  was  "  The  Non- 
juror,"  which  is  about  as  likely  as  that  a  man  should  be  accused 
of  high  treason  because  he  sang  "God  Save  the  Queen  !" 

Steele  then,  being  made  to  understand  that  the  attack  on  Gibber 
was  the  beginning  of  evil  directed  against  himself,  wrote  to  two  great 
Ministers  of  State,  and  presented  a  Petition  to  the  King  on  January 
22nd,  1720,  praying  to  be  protected  from  molestation  by  the  Lord 
Chamberlain.  The  result  of  this  action  was  a  revocation  of  Steele's 
Licence  (not  his  Patent  specially,  which  is  curious)  dated  January 
23rd,  1720;  and  on  the  next  Monday,  the  25th,  an  Order  for 
Silence  was  sent  to  the  managers  and  actors  at  Drury  Lane.  The 
theatre  accordingly  remained  closed  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wed 
nesday,  January  25th  to  27th,  1720,  and  on  the  28th  re-opened, 
Wilks,  Gibber,  and  Booth  having  made  their  submission  and 
received  a  Licence  dated  the  previous  day. 

On  the  4th  of  March  following  the  actors  of  Drury  Lane  were 
sworn  at  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  office,  "  pursuant  to  an  Order 
occasioned  by  their  acting  in  obedience  to  his  Majesty's  Licence, 
lately  granted,  exclusive  of  a  Patent  formerly  obtained  by  Sir 
Richard  Steele,  Knight."  The  tenor  of  the  Oath  was,  that  as  his 
Majesty's  Servants  they  should  act  subservient  to  the  Lord 
Chamberlain,  Vice-Chamberlain,  and  Gentleman-Usher  in  Waiting. 
Whether  Steele  took  any  steps  to  test  the  legality  of  this  treatment 
is  doubtful ;  but,  on  the  accession  of  his  friend  Walpole  to  office, 
he  was  restored  to  his  position  at  the  head  of  the  theatre.  On 
May  2nd,  1721,  Gibber  and  his  partners  were  ordered  to  account 
with  Steele  for  his  past  and  present  share  of  the  profits  of  the 
theatre,  as  if  all  the  regulations  from  which  his  name  had  been 
excluded  had  never  been  made.  This  edict  is  signed  by  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle,  and  must,  I  fancy,  have  been  rather  a  bitter  pill  for 
that  nobleman.  How  Steele  subsequently  conducted  himself, 


196  THE    LIFE    OF 

mit  ?  I  think,  too,  I  have  a  very  good  Chance  for 
my  Success  in  this  passive  Ambition,  by  shewing 
myself  in  a  Light  I  have  not  been  seen  in. 

By  your  Leave  then,  Gentlemen !  let  the  Scene 
open,  and  at  once  discover  your  Comedian  at  the 
Bar !  There  you  will  find  him  a  Defendant,  and 
pleading  his  own  Theatrical  Cause  in  a  Court  of 
Chancery :  But,  as  I  chuse  to  have  a  Chance  of  pleas 
ing  others  as  well  as  of  indulging  you,  Gentlemen ;  I 
must  first  beg  leave  to  open  my  Case  to  them ;  after 
which  my  whole  Speech  upon  that  Occasion  shall  be 
at  your  Mercy. 

In  all  the  Transactions  of  Life,  there  cannot  be  a 
more  painful  Circumstance,  than  a  Dispute  at  Law 
with  a  Man  with  whom  we  have  long  liv'd  in  an 
agreeable  Amity :  But  when  Sir  Richard  Steele,  to 
get  himself  out  of  Difficulties,  was  oblig'd  to  throw 
his  Affairs  into  the  Hands  of  Lawyers  and  Trustees, 
that  Consideration,  then,  could  be  of  no  weight :  The 
Friend,  or  the  Gentleman,  had  no  more  to  do  in  the 
Matter !  Thus,  while  Sir  Richard  no  longer  acted 
from  himself,  it  may  be  no  Wonder  if  a  Flaw  was 
found  in  our  Conduct  for  the  Law  to  make  Work 

and  how  much  interest  he  took  in  the  theatre,  Gibber  very  fully 
relates  in  the  next  few  pages.  After  Steele's  death  a  new  Patent 
was  granted  to  Gibber,  Wilks,  and  Booth,  as  will  be  related  further 
on.  It  may  be  noted  here,  however,  that  the  date  of  the  new 
Patent  proves  conclusively  that  Steele's  grant  was  never  super 
seded.  The  new  power  was  dated  July  3rd,  1731,  but  it  did  not 
take  effect  till  September  ist,  1732,  exactly  three  years  after 
Steele's  death,  according  to  the  terms  of  his  original  Patent. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 97 

with.     It  must  be  observed,  then,  that  about  two  or 
three  Years  before  this  Suit  was  commenc'd,  upon 
Sir  Richard's  totally  absenting  himself  from  all  Care 
and  Menagement  of  the  Stage  (which  by  our  Articles 
of  Partnership  he  was  equally  and  jointly  oblig'd 
with  us  to  attend)  we  were  reduc'd  to  let  him  know 
that  we  could  not  go  on  at  that  Rate ;  but  that  if  he 
expected  to  make  the  Business  a  sine-Cure,  we  had 
as  much  Reason  to  expect  a  Consideration  for  our 
extraordinary  Care  of  it ;  and  that  during  his  Absence 
we   therefore    intended   to  charge  our  selves  at   a 
Sallary  of  i/.  13^.  ^d.  every  acting  Day  (unless  he 
could  shew  us  Cause  to  the  contrary)  for  our  Menage 
ment  :  To  which,  in  his  compos'd  manner,  he  only 
answer' d ;  That  to  be  sure  we  knew  what  was  fitter 
to  be  done  than  he  did  ;  that  he  bad  always  taken  a 
Delight  in  making  us  easy,  and  had  no  Reason  to 
doubt  of  our  doing  him  Justice.    Now  whether,  under 
this  easy  Stile  of  Approbation,  he  conceal'd  any  Dis 
like  of  our  Resolution,  I  cannot  say.     But,  if  I  may 
speak  my  private  Opinion,  I  really  believe,  from  his 
natural  Negligence  of  his  Affairs,  he  was  glad,  at  any 
rate,  to  be  excus'd  an  Attendance  which  he  was  now 
grown  weary  of.     But,  whether   I  am  deceiv'd  or 
right  in  my  Opinion,  the  Fact  was  truly  this,  that  he 
never  once,  directly  nor  indirectly,  complain'd  or  ob 
jected  to  our  being  paid  the  above-mention'd  daily 
Sum  in  near  three  Years  together ;  and  yet  still  con 
tinued  to  absent  himself  from  us  and  our  Affairs. 
But  notwithstanding  he  had  seen  and  done  all  this 


198  THE    LIFE    OF 

with  his  Eyes  open  ;  his  Lawyer  thought  here  was 
still  a  fair  Field  for  a  Battle  in  Chancery,  in  which, 
though  his  Client  might  be  beaten,  he  was  sure  his 
Bill  must  be  paid  for  it :  Accordingly,  to  work  with 
us  he  went.  But,  not  to  be  so  long  as  the  Lawyers 
were  in  bringing  this  Cause  to  an  Issue,  I  shall  at 
once  let  you  know,  that  it  came  to  a  Hearing  before 
the  late  Sir  Joseph  Jekyll,  then  Master  of  the  Rolls, 
in  the  Year  I726.1  Now,  as  the  chief  Point  in  dis 
pute  was,  of  what  Kind  or  Importance  the  Business 
of  a  Menager  was,  or  in  what  it  principally  consisted; 
it  could  not  be  suppos'd  that  the  most  learned  Council 
could  be  so  well  appriz'd  of  the  Nature  of  it,  as  one 
who  had  himself  gone  through  the  Care  and  Fatigue 
of  it.  I  was  therefore  encourag'd  by  our  Council  to 
speak  to  that  particular  Head  myself;  which  I  confess 
I  was  glad  he  suffered  me  to  undertake  ;  but  when  I 
tell  you  that  two  of  the  learned  Council  against  us 
came  afterwards  to  be  successively  Lord-Chancellors, 

1  This  is  one  of  Gibber's  bad  blunders.  The  Case  was  heard 
in  1728.  Genest  (iii.  208)  refers  to  the  St.  James's  Evening  Post's 
mention  of  the  hearing ;  and,  in  the  Burney  MSS.  in  the  British 
Museum,  a  copy  of  the  paragraph  is  given.  It  is  not,  however,  a 
cutting,  but  a  manuscript  copy.  "  Saty.  Feb.  17.  There  was  an 
hearing  in  the  Rolls  Chapel  in  a  Cause  between  Sir  Richard 
Steele,  Mr.  Gibber,  Mr.  Wilks,  and  others  belonging  to  Drury- 
Lane  Theatre,  which  held  five  hours — one  of  which  was  taken  up 
by  a  speech  of  Mr.  Wilks,  which  had  so  good  an  effect,  that  the 
Cause  went  against  Sir  Richard  Steele." — St.  James's  Evening 
Post,  Feb.  17  to  Feb.  20,  1728.  In  its  next  issue,  Feb.  20  to 
Feb.  22,  it  corrects  the  blunder  which  it  had  made  in  attributing 
Gibber's  speech  to  Wilks. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  1 99 

it  sets  my  Presumption  in  a  Light  that  I  still  tremble 
to  shew  it  in  :  But  however,  not  to  assume  more 
Merit  from  its  Success  than  was  really  its  Due,  I 
ought  fairly  to  let  you  know,  that  I  was  not  so  hardy 
as  to  deliver  my  Pleading  without  Notes,  in  my 
Hand,  of  the  Heads  I  intended  to  enlarge  upon  ;  for 
though  I  thought  I  could  conquer  my  Fear,  I  could 
not  be  so  sure  of  my  Memory :  But  when  it  came  to 
the  critical  Moment,  the  Dread  and  Apprehension  of 
what  I  had  undertaken  so  disconcerted  my  Courage, 
that  though  I  had  been  us'd  to  talk  to  above  Fifty 
Thousand  different  People  every  Winter,  for  upwards 
of  Thirty  Years  together ;  an  involuntary  and  un 
affected  Proof  of  my  Confusion  fell  from  my  Eyes  ; 
and,  as  I  found  myself  quite  out  of  my  Element,  I 
seem'd  rather  gasping  for  Life  than  in  a  condition  to 
cope  with  the  eminent  Orators  against  me.  But, 
however,  I  soon  found,  from  the  favourable  Attention 
of  my  Hearers,  that  my  Diffidence  had  done  me  no 
Disservice  :  And  as  the  Truth  I  was  to  speak  to 
needed  no  Ornament  of  Words,  I  delivered  it  in  the 
plain  manner  following,  viz. 

In  this  Cause,  Sir,  I  humbly  conceive  there  are 
but  two  Points  that  admit  of  any  material  Dispute. 
The  first  is,  Whether  Sir  Richard  Steele  is  as  much 
obliged  to  do  the  Duty  and  Business  of  a  Menager 
Wilks,  Booth,  or  Gibber:  And  the  second 
is,  Whether  by  Sir  Richard's  totally  withdrawing 
himself  from  the  Business  of  a  Menager,  the  Defen 
dants  are  justifiable  in  charging  to  each  of  themselves 


2OO  THE    LIFE    OF 

the  i/.  13^.  ^d.  per  Diem  for  their  particular  Pains 
and  Care  in  carrying  on  the  whole  Affairs  of  the 
Stage  without  any  Assistance  from  Sir  Richard  Steele. 
As  to  the  First,  if  I  don't  mistake  the  Words  of 
the  Assignment,  there  is  a  Clause  in  it  that  says,  All 
Matters  relating  to  the  Government  or  Menagement 
of  the  Theatre  shall  be  concluded  by  a  Majority  of 
Voices.  Now  I  presume,  Sir,  there  is  no  room  left 
to  alledge  that  Sir  Richard  was  ever  refused  his 
Voice,  though  in  above  three  Years  he  never  desir'd 
to  give  it :  And  I  believe  there  will  be  as  little  room 
to  say,  that  he  could  have  a  Voice  if  he  were  not  a 
Menager.  But,  Sir,  his  being  a  Menager  is  so  self- 
evident,  that  it  is  amazing  how  he  could  conceive 
that  he  was  to  take  the  Profits  and  Advantages  of  a 
Menager  without  doing  the  Duty  of  it.  And  I  will 
be  bold  to  say,  Sir,  that  his  Assignment  of  the  Patent 
to  Wilksy  Booth,  and  Gibber,  in  no  one  Part  of  it, 
by  the  severest  Construction  in  the  World,  can  be 
wrested  to  throw  the  heavy  Burthen  of  the  Menage 
ment  only  upon  their  Shoulders.  Nor  does  it  appear, 
Sir,  that  either  in  his  Bill,  or  in  his  Answer  to  our 
Cross-Bill,  he  has  offer'd  any  Hint,  or  Glimpse  of  a 
Reason,  for  his  withdrawing  from  the  Menagement 
at  all ;  or  so  much  as  pretend,  from  the  time  com 
plained  of,  that  he  ever  took  the  least  Part  of  his 
Share  of  it.  Now,  Sir,  however  unaccountable  this 
Conduct  of  Sir  Richard  may  seem,  we  will  still  allow 
that  he  had  some  Cause  for  it ;  but  whether  or  no 
that  Cause  was  a  reasonable  one  your  Honour  will 


MR.   COLLEY   GIBBER.  2OI 

the  better  judge,  if  I  may  be  indulged  in  the  Liberty 
of  explaining  it. 

Sir,  the  Case,  in  plain  Truth  and  Reality,  stands 
thus :  Sir  Richard,  though  no  Man  alive  can  write 
better  of  Oeconomy  than  himself,  yet,  perhaps,  he  is 
above  the  Drudgery  of  practising  it :  Sir  Richard, 
then,  was  often  in  want  of  Money ;  and  while  we 
were  in  Friendship  with  him,  we  often  assisted  his 
Occasions  :  But  those  Compliances  had  so  unfortu 
nate  an  Effect,  that  they  only  heightened  his  Impor 
tunity  to  borrow  more,  and  the  more  we  lent,  the  less 
he  minded  us,  or  shew'd  any  Concern  for  our  Wel 
fare.  Upon  this,  Sir,  we  stopt  our  Hands  at  once, 
and  peremptorily  refus'd  to  advance  another  Shilling 
'till  by  the  Balance  of  our  Accounts  it  became  due  to 
him.  And  this  Treatment  (though,  we  hope,  not  in 
the  least  unjustifiable)  we  have  Reason  to  believe 
so  ruffled  his  Temper,  that  he  at  once  was  as  short 
with  us  as  we  had  been  with  him  ;  for,  from  that  Day, 
he  never  more  came  near  us :  Nay,  Sir,  he  not  only 
continued  to  neglect  what  he  should  have  done,  but 
actually  did  what  he  ought  not  to  have  done  :  He 
made  an  Assignment  of  his  Share  without  our  Con 
sent,  in  a  manifest  Breach  of  our  Agreement :  For, 
Sir,  we  did  not  lay  that  Restriction  upon  ourselves 
for  no  Reason  :  We  knew,  before-hand,  what  Trouble 
and  Inconvenience  it  would  be  to  unravel  and  expose 
our  Accounts  to  Strangers,  who,  if  they  were  to  do 
us  no  hurt  by  divulging  our  Secrets,  we  were  sure 
could  do  us  no  good  by  keeping  them.  If  SIT  Richard 


2O2  THE    LIFE    OF 

had  had  our  common  Interest  at  heart,  he  would 
have  been  as  warm  in  it  as  we  were,  and  as  tender 
of  hurting  it :  But  supposing  his  assigning  his  Share 
to  others  may  have  done  us  no  great  Injury,  it  is,  at 
least,  a  shrewd  Proof  that  he  did  not  care  whether  it 
did  us  any  or  no.  And  if  the  Clause  was  not  strong 
enough  to  restrain  him  from  it  in  Law,  there  was 
enough  in  it  to  have  restrain'd  him  in  Honour  from 
breaking  it.  But  take  it  in  its  best  Light,  it  shews 
him  as  remiss  a  Menager  in  our  Affairs  as  he  natu 
rally  was  in  his  own.  Suppose,  Sir,  we  had  all  been 
as  careless  as  himself,  which  I  can't  find  he  has  any 
more  Right  to  be  than  we  have,  must  not  our  whole 
Affair  have  fallen  to  Ruin  ?  And  may  we  not,  by  a 
parity  of  Reason,  suppose,  that  by  his  Neglect  a 
fourth  Part  of  it  does  fall  to  Ruin  ?  But,  Sir,  there  is 
a  particular  Reason  to  believe,  that,  from  our  want 
of  Sir  Richard,  more  than  a  fourth  Part  does  suffer 
by  it :  His  Rank  and  Figure  in  the  World,  while  he 
gave  us  the  Assistance  of  them,  were  of  extraordi 
nary  Service  to  us  :  He  had  an  easier  Access,  and  a 
more  regarded  Audience  at  Court,  than  our  low 
Station  of  Life  could  pretend  to,  when  our  Interest 
wanted  (as  it  often  did)  a  particular  Solicitation 
there.  But  since  we  have  been  deprived  of  him,  the 
very  End,  the  very  Consideration  of  his  Share  in 
our  Profits  is  not  perform'd  on  his  Part.  And  will 
Sir  Richard,  then,  make  us  no  Compensation  for  so 
valuable  a  Loss  in  our  Interests,  and  so  palpable  an 
Addition  to  our  Labour  ?  I  am  afraid,  Sir,  if  we  were 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  2O3 

all  to  be  as  indolent  in  the  Menaging-Part  as  Sir 
Richard  presumes  he  has  a  Right  to  be  ;  our  Patent 
would  soon  run  us  as  many  Hundreds  in  Debt,  as  he 
had  (and  still  seems  willing  to  have)  his  Share  of,  for 
doing  of  nothing. 

Sir,  our  next  Point  in  question  is  whether  Wilks, 
Booth,  and  Gibber  are  justifiable  in  charging  the 
i/.  13^.  ^d.  per  diem  for  their  extraordinary  Menage  - 
ment  in  the  Absence  of  Sir  Richard  Steele.  I  doubt, 
Sir,  it  will  be  hard  to  come  to  the  Solution  of  this 
Point,  unless  we  may  be  a  little  indulg'd  in  setting 
forth  what  is  the  daily  and  necessary  Business  and 
Duty  of  a  Menager.  But,  Sir,  we  will  endeavour  to 
be  as  short  as  the  Circumstances  will  admit  of. 

Sir,  by  our  Books  it  is  apparent  that  the  Menagers 
have  under  their  Care  no  less  than  One  Hundred 
and  Forty  Persons  in  constant  daily  Pay :  And 
among  such  Numbers,  it  will  be  no  wonder  if  a 
great  many  of  them  are  unskilful,  idle,  and  some 
times  untractable ;  all  which  Tempers  are  to  be  led, 
or  driven,  watch'd,  and  restrain'd  by  the  continual 
Skill,  Care,  and  Patience  of  the  Menagers.  Every 
Menager  is  oblig'd,  in  his  turn,  to  attend  two  or  three 
Hours  every  Morning  at  the  Rehearsal  of  Plays  and 
other  Entertainments  for  the  Stage,  or  else  every 
Rehearsal  would  be  but  a  rude  Meeting  of  Mirth 
and  Jollity.  The  same  Attendance  is  as  necessary 
at  every  Play  during  the  time  of  its  publick  Action, 
in  which  one  or  more  of  us  have  constantly  been 
punctual,  whether  we  have  had  any  part  in  the  Play 


204  THE  LIFE  OF 

then  acted  or  not.  A  Menager  ought  to  be  at  the 
Reading  of  every  new  Play  when  it  is  first  offer'd  to 
the  Stage,  though  there  are  seldom  one  of  those 
Plays  in  twenty  which,  upon  hearing,  proves  to  be 
fit  for  it ;  and  upon  such  Occasions  the  Attendance 
must  be  allow'd  to  be  as  painfully  tedious  as  the 
getting  rid  of  the  Authors  of  such  Plays  must  be 
disagreeable  and  difficult.  Besides  this,  Sir,  a 
Menager  is  to  order  all  new  Cloaths,  to  assist  in  the 
Fancy  and  Propriety  of  them,  to  limit  the  Expence, 
and  to  withstand  the  unreasonable  Importunities  of 
some  that  are  apt  to  think  themselves  injur'd  if  they 
are  not  finer  than  their  Fellows.  A  Menager  is  to 
direct  and  oversee  the  Painters,  Machinists,  Musicians, 
Singers,  and  Dancers;  to  have  an  Eye  upon  the 
Door-keepers,  Under-Servants,  and  Officers  that, 
without  such  Care,  are  too  often  apt  to  defraud  us, 
or  neglect  their  Duty. 

And  all  this,  Sir,  and  more,  much  more,  which  we 
hope  will  be  needless  to  trouble  you  with,  have  we 
done  every  Day,  without  the  least  Assistance  from 
Sir  Richard,  even  at  times  when  the  Concern  and 
Labour  of  our  Parts  upon  the  Stage  have  made  it 
very  difficult  and  irksome  to  go  through  with  it. 

In  this  Place,  Sir,  it  may  be  worth  observing  that 
Sir  Richard,  in  his  Answer  to  our  Cross- Bill,  seems 
to  value  himself  upon  Gibbers  confessing,  in  the  De 
dication  of  a  Play  which  he  made  to  Sir  Richard, 
that  he  (Sir  Richard}  had  done  the  Stage  very  con 
siderable  Service  by  leading  the  Town  to  our  Plays^ 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  2O5 

and  filling  our  Houses  by  the  Force  and  Influence 
of  his  Tatlers.1     But  Sir  Richard  forgets  that  those 
Tatlers  were  written  in  the  late  Queen's  Reign,  long 
before  he  was  admitted  to  a  Share  in  the  Play-house : 
And  in  truth,  Sir,  it  was  our  real  Sense  of  those 
Obligations,  and    Sir   Richard's   assuring   us    they 
should  be  continued,  that  first  and  chiefly  inclin'd  us 
to  invite  him  to  share  the  Profits  of  our  Labours, 
upon  such  farther  Conditions  as  in  his  Assignment 
of  the  Patent  to  us  are  specified.   And,  Sir,  as  Gibbers 
publick  Acknowledgment  of  those  Favours  is  at  the 
same  time  an  equal  Proof  of  Sir  Richard's  Power  to 
continue  them  ;  so,  Sir,  we  hope  it  carries  an  equal 
Probability   that,  without  his    Promise   to  use  that 
Power,  he  would  never  have  been  thought  on,  much 
less  have  been  invited  by  us  into  a  Joint- Menage- 
ment  of  the  Stage,  and  into  a  Share  of  the  Profits  : 
And,  indeed,  what  Pretence  could  he  have  form'd  for 
asking  a  Patent  from  the  Crown,  had  he  been  pos 
sess' d  of  no  eminent  Qualities  but  in  common  with 
other  Men  ?     But,  Sir,  all  these  Advantages,  all  these 
Hopes,  nay,  Certainties  of  greater  Profits  from  those 
great  Qualities,  have  we  been  utterly  depriv'd  of  by 
the  wilful  and  unexpected  Neglect  of  Sir  Richard. 
But  we  find,  Sir,  it  is  a  common  thing  in  the  Prac 
tice  of  Mankind  to  justify  one  Error  by  committing 
another  :  For  Sir  Richard  has  not  only  refused  us 
the  extraordinary  Assistance  which  he  is  able  and 

1  This  was  in  the  Dedication  to  "  Ximena."    The  passage  will 
be  found  quoted  by  me  in  a  note  on  page  163  of  this  volume. 


2O6  THE    LIFE    OF 

bound  to  give  us ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  our  great 
Expence  and  Loss  of  Time,  now  calls  us  to  account, 
in  this  honourable  Court,  for  the  Wrong  we  have 
done  him,  in  not  doing  his  Business  of  a  Menager 
for  nothing.  But,  Sir,  Sir  Richard  has  not  met  with 
such  Treatment  from  us  :  He  has  not  writ  Plays  for 
us  for  Nothing,  we  paid  him  very  well,  and  in  an 
extraordinary  manner,  for  his  late  Comedy  of  the 
Conscious  Lovers :  And  though,  in  writing  that  Play, 
he  had  more  Assistance  from  one  of  the  Menagers  1 
than  becomes  me  to  enlarge  upon,  of  which  Evidence 
has  been  given  upon  Oath  by  several  of  our  Actors ; 
yet,  Sir,  he  was  allow'd  the  full  and  particular  Profits 
of  that  Play  as  an  Author,  which  amounted  to  Three 
Hundred  Pounds,  besides  about  Three  Hundred 
more  which  he  received  as  a  Joint-Sharer  of  the 
general  Profits  that  arose  from  it.  Now,  Sir,  though 
the  Menagers  are  not  all  of  them  able  to  write  Plays, 
yet  they  have  all  of  them  been  able  to  do  (I  won't 
say  as  good,  but  at  least)  as  profitable  a  thing.  They 
have  invented  and  adorn'd  a  Spectacle  that  for  Forty 
Days  together  has  brought  more  Money  to  the 
House  than  the  best  Play  thaf  ever  was  writ.  The 
Spectacle  I  mean,  Sir,  is  that  of  the  Coronation- Cere 
mony  of  Anna  Bullen : 2  And  though  we  allow  a 

1  Gibber  himself,  of  course. 

2  This  Coronation  was  tacked  to  the  play  of  "  Henry  VIII.," 
which  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane  on  26th  October,  1727.  Special 
interest  attached  to  it  on  account  of  the  recent  Coronation  of 
George  II. 


BARTON        BOOTH 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  2OJ 

good  Play  to  be  the  more  laudable  Performance,  yet, 
Sir,  in  the  profitable  Part  of  it  there  is  no  Com 
parison.  If,  therefore,  our  Spectacle  brought  in  as 
much,  or  more  Money  than  Sir  Richard's  Comedy, 
what  is  there  on  his  Side  but  Usage  that  intitles  him 
to  be  paid  for  one,  more  than  we  are  for  t'other  ? 
But  then,  Sir,  if  he  is  so  profitably  distinguish^  for 
his  Play,  if  we  yield  him  up  the  Preference,  and  pay 
him  for  his  extraordinary  Composition,  and  take 
nothing  for  our  own,  though  it  turn'd  out  more  to 
our  common  Profit ;  sure,  Sir,  while  we  do  such  ex 
traordinary  Duty  as  Menagers,  and  while  he  neglects 
his  Share  of  that  Duty,  he  cannet  grudge  us  the 
moderate  Demand  we  make  for  our  separate  Labour  ? 

To  conclude,  Sir,  if  by  our  constant  Attendance, 
our  Care,  our  Anxiety  (not  to  mention  the  disagree 
able  Contests  we  sometimes  meet  with,  both  within 
and  without  Doors,  in  the  Menagement  of  our 
Theatre)  we  have  not  only  saved  the  whole  from 
Ruin,  which,  if  we  had  all  follow'd  Sir  Richard's 
Example,  could  not  have  been  avoided  ;  I  say,  Sir, 
if  we^have  still  made  it  so  valuable  an  Income  to 
him,  without  his  giving  us  the  least  Assistance  for 
several  Years  past ;  we  hope,  Sir,  that  the  poor 
Labourers  that  have  done  all  this  for  Sir  Richard 
will  not  be  thought  unworthy  of  their  Hire. 

How  far  our  Affairs,  being  set  in  this  particular 
Light,  might  assist  our  Cause,  may  be  of  no  great 
Importance  to  guess  ;  but  the  Issue  of  it  was  this: 
That  Sir  Richard  not  having  made  any  Objection 

ii.  o 


2O8  THE  LIFE    OF 

to  what  we  had  charged  for  Menagement  for  three 
Years  together;  and  as  our  Proceedings  had  been  all 
transacted  in  open  Day,  without  any  clandestine  In 
tention  of  Fraud;  we  were  allow'd  the  Sums  in 
dispute  above-mention'd ;  and  Sir  Richard  not  being 
advised  to  appeal  to  the  Lord-Chancellor,  both 
Parties  paid  their  own  Costs,  and  thought  it  their 
mutual  Interest  to  let  this  be  the  last  of  their  Law 
suits. 

And  now,  gentle  Reader,  I  ask  Pardon  for  so  long 
an  Imposition  on  your  Patience :  For  tho'  I  may 
have  no  ill  Opinion  of  this  Matter  myself;  yet  to  you 
I  can  very  easily  conceive  it  may  have  been  tedious. 
You  are,  therefore,  at  your  own  Liberty  of  charging 
the  whole  Impertinence  of  it,  either  to  the  Weakness 
of  my  Judgment,  or  the  Strength  of  my  Vanity;  and  I 
will  so  far  join  in  your  Censure,  that  I  farther  confess 
I  have  been  so  impatient  to  give  it  you,  that  you  have 
had  it  out  of  its  Turn  :  For,  some  Years  before  this 
Suit  was  commenced,  there  were  other  Facts  that 
ought  to  have  had  a  Precedence  in  my  History:  But 
that,  I  dare  say,  is  an  Oversight  you  will  easily  excuse, 
provided  you  afterwards  find  them  worth  reading. 
However,  as  to  that  Point  I  must  take  my  Chance, 
and  shall  therefore  proceed  to  speak  of  the  Theatre 
which  was  order' d  by  his  late  Majesty  to  be  erected 
in  the  Great  old  Hall  at  Hampton-Court ;  where 
Plays  were  intended  to  have  been  acted  twice  a  Week 
during  the  Summer-Season.  But  before  the  Theatre 
could  be  finish 'd,  above  half  the  Month  of  September 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  209 

being  elapsed,  there  were  but  seven  Plays  acted 
before  the  Court  returned  to  London}-  This  throw 
ing  open  a  Theatre  in  a  Royal  Palace  seem'd  to  be 
reviving  the  Old  English  hospitable  Grandeur,  where 
the  lowest  Rank  of  neighbouring  Subjects  might 
make  themselves  merry  at  Court  without  being 
laugh'd  at  themselves.  In  former  Reigns,  Theatri 
cal  Entertainments  at  the  Royal  Palaces  had  been 
perform'd  at  vast  Expence,  as  appears  by  the  De 
scription  of  th£  Decorations  in  several  of  Ben.  John 
sons  Masques  in  K'mg  fames  and  Charles  the  First's 
Time  ;2  many  curious  and  original  Draughts  of  which, 
by  Sir  Inigo  Jones,  I  have  seen  in  the  Musceum  of 
our  greatest  Master  and  Patron  of  Arts  and  Archi 
tecture,  whom  it  would  be  a  needless  Liberty  to 
name.3  But  when  our  Civil  Wars  ended  in  the 
Decadence  of  Monarchy,  it  was  then  an  Honour  to 
the  Stage  to  have  fallen  with  it :  Yet,  after  the  Re 
storation  of  Charles  II.  some  faint  Attempts  were 
made  to  revive  these  Theatrical  Spectacles  at  Court ; 
but  I  have  met  with  no  Account  of  above  one  Masque 
acted  there  by  the  Nobility;  which  was  that  of  Calisto, 
written  by  Crown,  the  Author  of  Sir  Courtly  Nice. 
For  what  Reason  Crown  was  chosen  to  that  Honour 

1  This  was  in  1718.  On  24th  September,  1718,  the  bills  an 
nounce  "  the  same  Entertainments  that  were  performed  yesterday 
before  his  Majesty  at  Hampton  Court." 

a  In  Whitelocke's  "  Memorials  "  there  is  an  account  of  a  Masque 
played  in  1633,  before  Charles  I.  and  his  Queen,  by  the  gentle 
men  of  the  Temple,  which  cost  ,£21,000. 

3  The  Earl  of  Burlington. 


210  THE   LIFE    OF 

rather  than  Dry  den,  who  was  then  Poet-Laureat  and 
out  of  all  Comparison  his  Superior  in  Poetry,  may 
seem  surprizing  :  But  if  we  consider  the  Offence 
which  the  then  Duke  of  Buckingham  took  at  the 
Character  of  Zimri  in  Dry  dens  Absalom,  &c.  (which 
might  probably  be  a  Return  to  his  Grace's  Drawcan- 
sir  in  the  Rehearsal}  we  may  suppose  the  Prejudice 
and  Recommendation  of  so  illustrious  a  Pretender  to 
Poetry  might  prevail  at  Court  to  give  Crown  this 
Preference.1  In  the  same  Reign  the  King  had  his 
Comedians  at  Windsor,  but  upon  a  particular  Esta 
blishment  ;  for  tho'  they  acted  in  St.  Georges  Hall, 
within  the  Royal  Palace,  yet  (as  I  have  been  inform'd 
by  an  Eye-witness)  they  were  permitted  to  take 
Money  at  the  Door  of  every  Spectator;  whether 
this  was  an  Indulgence,  in  Conscience  I  cannot  say; 
but  it  was  a  common  Report  among  the  principal 
Actors,  when  I  first  came  into  the  Theatre- Royal,  in 
1690,  that  there  was  then  due  to  the  Company  from 
that  Court  about  One  Thousand  Five  Hundred 
Pounds  for  Plays  commanded,  &c.  and  yet  it  was 
the  general  Complaint,  in  that  Prince's  Reign,  that 
he  paid  too  much  Ready-money  for  his  Pleasures  : 

1  "Calisto"  was  published  in  1675.  Genest  (i.  181)  says: 
"Gibber,  with  his  usual  accuracy  as  to  dates,  supposes  that  Crowne 
was  selected  to  write  a  mask  for  the  Court  in  preference  to  Dryden, 
through  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  who  was 
offended  at  what  Dryden  had  said  of  him  in  Absalom  and  Achi- 
tophel — Dryden 's  poem  was  not  written  till  1681 — Lord  Rochester 
was  the  person  who  recommended  Crowne."  I  may  add  that 
Dryden  furnished  an  Epilogue  to  "Calisto,"  which  was  not 
spoken. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  211 

But  these  Assertions  I  only  give  as  I  received  them, 
without  being  answerable  for  their  Reality.     This 
Theatrical  Anecdote,  however,  puts  me  in  mind  of 
one  of  a  more  private  nature,  which  I  had  from  old 
solemn  Boman,  the  late   Actor   of  venerable    Me 
mory.1     Boman,  then  a  Youth,  and   fam'd  for  his 
Voice,  was  appointed  to  sing  some  Part  in  a  Concert 
of  Musick  at  the  private  Lodgings  of  Mrs.  Gwin\  at 
which  were  only  present    the   King,   the    Duke  of 
York,  and  one  or  two  more  who  were  usually  ad 
mitted   upon   those   detach'd    Parties   of    Pleasure. 
When  the    Performance  was   ended,  the  King  ex- 
press'd  himself  highly  pleased,  and  gave   it  extra 
ordinary  Commendations :  Then,  Sir,  said  the  Lady, 
to  shew  you  don't   speak  like  a  Courtier,   I   hope 
you  will  make  the  Performers  a  handsome  Present  : 
The  King  said  he  had  no  Money  about  him,  and 
ask'd  the  Duke  if  he  had  any  ?     To  which  the  Duke 
reply'd,  I  believe,  Sir,  not  above  a  Guinea  or  two. 
Upon   which   the    laughing    Lady,    turning    to   the 
People  about  her,  and  making  bold  with  the  King's 
common  Expression,  cry'd,  OcT s  Fish!  what  Company 
am  I  got  into  / 

1  Boman,  or  Bowman,  was  born  about  1651,  and  lived  till  23rd 
March,  1739.  He  made  his  first  appearance  about  1673,  and 
acted  to  within  a  few  months  of  his  death,  having  thus  been  on 
the  stage  for  the  extraordinary  period  of  sixty-five  years.  He  was 
very  sensitive  on  the  subject  of  his  age,  and,  if  asked  how  old  he 
was,  only  replied,  that  he  was  very  well.  Davies  speaks  highly  of 
Boman's  acting  in  his  extreme  old  age  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  i.  286  and 
ii.  100).  Mrs.  Boman  was  the  adopted  daughter  of  Betterton. 


212  THE    LIFE    OF 

Whether  the  reverend  Historian  of  his  Own  Time,1 
among  the  many  other  Reasons  of  the  same  Kind  he 
might  have  for  stiling  this  Fair  One  the  indiscreetest 
and  wildest  Creature  that  ever  was  in  a  Court,  might 

o 

know  this  to  be  one  of  them,  I  can't  say  :  But  if  we 
consider  her  in  all  the  Disadvantages  of  her  Rank 
and  Education,  she  does  not  appear  to  have  had  any 
criminal  Errors  more  remarkable  than  her  Sex's 
Frailty  to  answer  for  :  And  if  the  same  Author,  in 
his  latter  End  of  that  Prince's  Life,  seems  to  re 
proach  his  Memory  with  too  kind  a  Concern  for  her 
Support,  we  may  allow  that  it  becomes  a  Bishop 
to  have  had  no  Eyes  or  Taste  for  the  frivolous 
Charms  or  playful  Badinage  of  a  King's  Mistress: 
Yet,  if  the  common  Fame  of  her  may  be  believ'd, 
which  in  my  Memory  was  not  doubted,  she  had  less 
to  be  laid  to  her  Charge  than  any  other  of  those 
Ladies  who  were  in  the  same  State  of  Preferment : 
She  never  meddled  in  Matters  of  serious  Moment, 
or  was  the  Tool  of  working  Politicians :  Never 
broke  into  those  amorous  Infidelities  which  others  in 
that  grave  Author  are  accus'd  of;  but  was  as  visibly 
distinguish'd  by  her  particular  Personal  Inclination 
to  the  King,  as  her  Rivals  were  by  their  Titles  and 
Grandeur.  Give  me  leave  to  carry  (perhaps  the 
Partiality  of)  my  Observation  a  little  farther.  The 
same  Author,  in  the  same  Page,  263,*  tells  us,  That 
"  Another  of  the  King's  Mistresses,  the  Daughter  of 
"  a  Clergyman,  Mrs.  Roberts,  in  whom  her  first 
1  Bishop  Burnet.  2  First  edition,  vol.  i. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  213 

"  Education  had  so  deep  a  Root,  that  though  she  fell 
"  into  many  scandalous  Disorders,  with  very  dismal 
"  Adventures  in  them  all,  yet  a  Principle  of  Reli- 
"  gion  was  so  deep  laid  in  her,  that  tho'  it  did  not 
"  restrain  her*  yet  it  kept  alive,  in  her  such  a  constant 
"  Horror  of  Sin,  that  she  was  never  easy  in  an  ill 
"  course,  and  died  with  a  great  Sense  of  her  former 
"  ill  Life." 

To  all  this  let  us  give  an  implicit  Credit :  Here  is 
the  Account  of  a  frail  Sinner  made  up  with  a 
Reverend  Witness !  Yet  I  cannot  but  lament  that 
this  Mitred  Historian,  who  seems  to  know  more  Per 
sonal  Secrets  than  any  that  ever  writ  before  him, 
should  not  have  been  as  inquisitive  after  the  last 
Hours  of  our  other  Fair  Offender,  whose  Repen 
tance  I  have  been  unquestionably  inform'd,  appear'd 
in  all  the  contrite  Symptoms  of  a  Christian  Sin 
cerity.  If  therefore  you  find  I  am  so  much  con- 
cern'd  to  make  this  favourable  mention  of  the  one,  be 
cause  she  was  a  Sister  of  the  Theatre,  why  may  not — 
But  I  dare  not  be  so  presumptuous,  so  uncharitably 
bold,  as  to  suppose  the  other  was  spoken  better  of 
merely  because  she  was  the  Daughter  of  a  Clergyman. 
Well,  and  what  then  ?  What's  all  this  idle  Prate,  you 
may  say,  to  the  matter  in  hand  ?  Why,  I  say  your 
Question  is  a  little  too  critical ;  and  if  you  won't  give 
an  Author  leave,  now  and  then,  to  embellish  his 
Work  by  a  natural  Reflexion,  you  are  an  ungentle 
Reader.  But  I  have  done  with  my  Digression,  and 
return  to  our  Theatre  at  Hampton-Court,  where  I  am 


214  THE  LIFE  OF 

not  sure  the  Reader,  be  he  ever  so  wise,  will  meet 
with  any  thing  more  worth  his  notice  :  However,  if 
he  happens  to  read,  as  I  write,  for  want  of  something 
better  to  do,  he  will  go  on ;  and  perhaps  wonder 
when  I  tell  him  that 

A  Play  presented  at  Court,  or  acted  on  a  pub- 
lick  Stage,  seem  to  their   different  Auditors  a  dif 
ferent  Entertainment.     Now  hear  my  Reason  for  it. 
In  the  common  Theatre  the  Guests  are  at  home, 
where  the  politer  Forms  of  Good-breeding  are  not 
so  nicely  regarded :    Every  one  there  falls  to,  and 
likes  or  finds  fault  according  to  his  natural  Taste  or 
Appetite.     At   Court,  where   the    Prince  gives  the 
Treat,  and  honours  the  Table  with  his  own  Presence, 
the  Audience  is  under  the  Restraint  of  a  Circle,  where 
Laughter  or  Applause  rais'd  higher  than  a  Whisper 
would  be  star'd  at.    At  a  publick  Play  they  are  both 
let  loose,  even  'till  the  Actor  is  sometimes  pleas'd 
with  his  not  being  able  to  be  heard  for  the  Clamour 
of  them.   But  this  Coldness  or  Decency  of  Attention 
at  Court  I   observ'd  had  but  a  melancholy  Effect 
upon  the  impatient  Vanity  of  some  of  our  Actors, 
who  seem'd  inconsolable  when  their  flashy  Endea 
vours  to  please  had  pass'd  unheeded  :  Their  not  con 
sidering  where  they  were  quite  disconcerted  them; 
nor  could  they  recover  their  Spirits  'till  from  the 
lowest  Rank  of  the  Audience  some  gaping  John  or 
Joan,  in  the  fullness  of  their  Hearts,  roar'd  out  their 
Approbation :    And,  indeed,  such  a  natural  Instance 
of  honest  Simplicity  a  Prince  himself,  whose  Indul- 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  215 

gence  knows  where  to  make  Allowances,  might 
reasonably  smile  at,  and  perhaps  not  think  it  the 
worst  part  of  his  Entertainment.  Yet  it  must  be 
own'd,  that  an  Audience  may  be  as  well  too  much 
reserv'd,  as  too  profuse  of  their  Applause :  For 
though  it  is  possible  a  Be  tier  ton  would  not  have 
been  discourag'd  from  throwing  out  an  Excellence, 
or  elated  into  an  Error,  by  his  Auditors  being  too 
little  or  too  much  pleas'd,  yet,  as  Actors  of  his  Judg 
ment  are  Rarities,  those  of  less  Judgment  may  sink 
into  a  Flatness  in  their  Performance  for  want  of  that 
Applause,  which  from  the  generality  of  Judges  they 
might  perhaps  have  some  Pretence  to :  And  the 
Auditor,  when  not  seeming  to  feel  what  ought  to  affect 
him,  may  rob  himself  of  something  more  that  he  might 
have  had  by  giving  the  Actor  his  Due,  who  measures 
out  his  Power  to  please  according  to  the  Value  he 
sets  upon  his  Hearer's  Taste  or  Capacity.  But,  how 
ever,  as  we  were  not  here  itinerant  Adventurers, 
and  had  properly  but  one  Royal  Auditor  to  please ; 
after  that  Honour  was  attain'd  to,  the  rest  of  our  Ambi 
tion  had  little  to  look  after  :  And  that  the  King  was 
often  pleas'd,  we  were  not  only  assur'd  by  those  who 
had  the  Honour  to  be  near  him  ;  but  could  see  it,  from 
the  frequent  Satisfaction  in  his  Looks  at  particular 
Scenes  and  Passages:  One  Instance  of  which  lam 
tempted  to  relate,  because  it  was  at  a  Speech  that 
might  more  naturally  affect  a  Sovereign  Prince  than 
any  private  Spectator.  In  Shakespeare  Harry  the 
Eighth,  that  King  commands  the  Cardinal  to  write 


2l6  THE    LIFE    OF 

circular  Letters  of  Indemnity  into  every  County 
where  the  Payment  of  certain  heavy  Taxes  had 
been  disputed  :  Upon  which  the  Cardinal  whispers 
the  following  Directions  to  his  Secretary  Crom 
well  : 

A  Word  with  you : 


Let  there  be  Letters  writ  to  every  Shire 

Of  the  Kings  Grace  and  Pardon :   The  grievd 

Commons 

Hardly  conceive  of  me.     Let  it  be  noisd 
That  through  our  Intercession  this  Revokement 
And  Pardon  comes. — I  shall  anon  advise  you 
Farther  in  the  Proceeding 

The  Solicitude  of  this  Spiritual  Minister,  in  filching 
from  his  Master  the  Grace  and  Merit  of  a  good 
Action,  and  dressing  up  himself  in  it,  while  himself 
had  been  Author  of  the  Evil  complain'd  of,  was  so 
easy  a  Stroke  of  his  Temporal  Conscience,  that  it 
seem'd  to  raise  the  King  into  something  more  than  a 
Smile  whenever  that  Play  came  before  him  :  And  I 
had  a  more  distinct  Occasion  to  observe  this  Effect ; 
because  my  proper  Stand  on  the  Stage  when  I  spoke 
the  Lines  required  me  to  be  near  the  Box  where  the 
King  usually  sate  : 1  In  a  Word,  this  Play  is  so  true 

1  Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  i.  365)  says  :  "  Wolsey's  filching  from 
his  royal  master  the  honour  of  bestowing  grace  and  pardon  on  the 
subject,  appeared  so  gross  and  impudent  a  prevarication,  that, 
when  this  play  was  acted  before  George  I.  at  Hampton-Court, 
about  the  year  1717,  the  courtiers  laughed  so  loudly  at  this  minis 
terial  craft,  that  his  majesty,  who  was  unacquainted  with  the 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  21 7 

a  Dramatick  Chronicle  of  an  old  English  Court,  and 
where  the  Character  of  Harry  the  Eighth  is  so 
exactly  drawn,  even  to  a  humourous  Likeness,  that 
it  may  be  no  wonder  why  his  Majesty's  particular 
Taste  for  it  should  have  commanded  it  three  several 
times  in  one  Winter. 

This,  too,  calls  to  my  Memory  an  extravagant 
Pleasantry  of  Sir  Richard  Steele,  who  being  ask'd  by 
a  grave  Nobleman,  after  the  same  Play  had  been 
presented  at  Hampton- Court,  how  the  King  lik'd  it, 
reply'd,  So  terribly  well,  my  Lord,  that  I  was  afraid 
I  should  have  lost  all  my  Actors  !  For  I  was  not  sure 
the  King  would  not  keep  them  to  Jill  the  Posts  at 
Court  that  he  saw  them  so  fit  for  in  the  Play. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  giving  Plays  to  the  People 
at  such  a  distance  from  London  could  not  but  be 
attended  with  an  extraordinary  Expence  ;  and  it  was 
some  Difficulty,  when  they  were  first  talk'd  of,  to 
bring  them  under  a  moderate  Sum  ;  I  shall  there 
fore,  in  as  few  Words  as  possible,  give  a  Particular 
of  what  Establishment  they  were  then  brought  to, 
that  in  case  the  same  Entertainments  should  at  any 
time  hereafter  be  call'd  to  the  same  Place,  future 
Courts  may  judge  how  far  the  Precedent  may  stand 
good,  or  need  an  Alteration. 

English  language,  asked  the  lord-chamberlain  the  meaning  of  their 
mirth ;  upon  being  informed  of  it,  the  king  joined  in  a  laugh  of 
approbation."  Davies  adds  that  this  scene  "  was  not  unsuitably 
represented  by  Colley  Gibber;"  but,  in  scenes  requiring  dignity  or 
passion,  he  expresses  an  unfavourable  opinion  of  Gibber's  playing. 


2l8  THE    LIFE    OF 

Though  the  stated  Fee  for  a  Play  acted  at  White 
hall  had  been  formerly  but  Twenty  Pounds  ; 1  yet,  as 
that  hinder'd  not  the  Company's  acting  on  the  same 
Day  at  the  Publick  Theatre,  that  Sum  was  almost 
all  clear  Profits  to  them  :  But  this  Circumstance  not 
being  practicable  when  they  were  commanded  to 
Hampton-Court,  a  new  and  extraordinary  Charge 
was  unavoidable :  The  Menagers,  therefore,  not  to 
inflame  it,  desired  no  Consideration  for  their  own 
Labour,  farther  than  the  Honour  of  being  employed 
in  his  Majesty's  Commands  ;  and,  if  the  other  Actors 
might  be  allow'd  each  their  Day's  Pay  and  travelling 
Charges,  they  should  hold  themselves  ready  to  act 
any  Play  there  at  a  Day's  Warning  :  And  that  the 
Trouble  might  be  less  by  being  divided,  the  Lord- 
Chamberlain  was  pleas'd  to  let  us  know  that  the 
Houshold-Musick,  the  Wax  Lights,  and  a  Chaise- 
Marine  to  carry  our  moving  Wardrobe  to  every 
different  Play,  should  be  under  the  Charge  of  the 
proper  Officers.  Notwithstanding  these  Assistances, 
the  Expence  of  every  Play  amounted  to  Fifty  Pounds: 
Which  Account,  when  all  was  over,  was  not  only 
allow'd  us,  but  his  Majesty  was  graciously  pleas'd  to 
give  the  Menagers  Two  Hundred  Pounds  more  for 
their  particular  Performance  and  Trouble  in  only 

1  From  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Records  it  is  clear  that  £10 
was  the  fee  for  a  play  at  Whitehall  during  the  time  of  Charles  I. 
If  the  performance  was  at  Hampton  Court,  or  if  it  took  place  at 
such  a  time  of  day  as  to  prevent  the  ordinary  playing  at  the 
theatre,  ^20  was  allowed. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  2 19 

seven  times  acting.1  Which  last  Sum,  though  it 
might  not  be  too  much  for  a  Sovereign  Prince  to 
give,  it  was  certainly  more  than  our  utmost  Merit 
ought  to  have  hop'd  for :  And  I  confess,  when  I 
receiv'd  the  Order  for  the  Money  from  his  Grace 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  then  Lord-Chamberlain,  I 
was  so  surpris'd,  that  I  imagin'd  his  Grace's  Favour, 
or  Recommendation  of  our  Readiness  or  Diligence, 
must  have  contributed  to  so  high  a  Consideration  of 
it,  and  was  offering  my  Acknowledgments  as  I 
thought  them  due ;  but  was  soon  stopt  short  by  his 
Grace's  Declaration,  That  we  had  no  Obligations  for 
it  but  to  the  King  himself,  who  had  given  it  from  no 
other  Motive  than  his  own  Bounty.  Now  whether 
we  may  suppose  that  Cardinal  Wolsey  (as  you  see 
Shakespear  has  drawn  him)  would  silently  have  taken 
such  low  Acknowledgments  to  himself,  perhaps  may 
be  as  little  worth  consideration  as  my  mentioning 
this  Circumstance  has  been  necessary  :  But  if  it  is 
due  to  the  Honour  and  Integrity  of  the  (then) 
Lord-Chamberlain,  I  cannot  think  it  wholly  imper 
tinent. 

Since  that  time  there  has  been  but  one  Play  given 
at  Hampton-Court,  which  was  for  the  Entertainment 
of  the  Duke  of  Lorrain ;  and  for  which  his  present 

1  The  warrant  for  the  payment  of  these  performances  is  dated 
1 5th  November,  1718.  The  expenses  incurred  by  the  actors 
amounted  to  ^374  is.  8<£,  and  the  present  given  by  the  King, 
as  Gibber  states,  was  ^,"200 ;  the  total  payment  being  thus 
^574  is.  8^. 


22O  THE    LIFE    OF 

Majesty    was    pleased    to    order    us    a    Hundred 
Pounds. 

The  Reader  may  now  plainly  see  that  I  am  ran 
sacking  my  Memory  for  such  remaining  Scraps  of 
Theatrical  History  as  may  not  perhaps  be  worth  his 
Notice  :  But  if  they  are  such  as  tempt  me  to  write 
them,  why  may  I  not  hope  that  in  this  wide  World 
there  may  be  many  an  idle  Soul,  no  wiser  than  my 
self,  who  may  be  equally  tempted  to  read  them  ? 

I  have  so  often  had  occasion  to  compare  the  State 
of  the  Stage  to  the  State  of  a  Nation,  that  I  yet  feel 
a  Reluctancy  to  drop  the  Comparison,  or  speak  of 
the  one  without  some  Application  to  the  other.  How 
many  Reigns,  then,  do  I  remember,  from  that  of 
Charles  the  Second,  through  all  which  there  has  been, 
from  one  half  of  the  People  or  the  other,  a  Succes 
sion  of  Clamour  against  every  different  Ministry  for 
the  time  being?  And  yet,  let  the  Cause  of  this 
Clamour  have  been  never  so  well  grounded,  it  is 
impossible  but  that  some  of  those  Ministers  must 
have  been  wiser  and  honester  Men  than  others  :  If 
this  be  true,  as  true  I  believe  it  is,  why  may  I  not 
then  say,  as  some  Fool  in  a  French  Play  does  upon 
a  like  Occasion — -Justement,  comme  chez  nous  !  'Twas 
exactly  the  same  with  our  Menagement!  let  us  have 
done  never  so  well,  we  could  not  please  every  body : 
All  I  can  say  in  our  Defence  is,  that  though  many 
good  Judges  might  possibly  conceive  how  the  State 
of  the  Stage  might  have  been  mended,  yet  the  best 
of  them  never  pretended  to  remember  the  Time  when 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  221 

it  was  better !  or  could  shew  us  the  way  to  make 
their  imaginary  Amendments  practicable. 

For  though  I  have  often  allow'd  that  our  best 
Merit  as  Actors  was  never  equal  to  that  of  our  Pre 
decessors,  yet  I  will  venture  to  say,  that  in  all  its 
Branches  the  Stage  had  never  been  under  so  just, 
so  prosperous,  and  so  settled  a  Regulation,  for  forty 
Years  before,  as  it  was  at  the  Time  I  am  speaking 
of.  The  most  plausible  Objection  to  our  Adminis 
tration  seemed  to  be,  that  we  took  no  Care  to  breed 
up  young  Actors  to  succeed  us ; *  and  this  was  im 
puted  as  the  greater  Fault,  because  it  was  taken  for 
granted  that  it  was  a  Matter  as  easy  as  planting  so 
many  Cabbages :  Now,  might  not  a  Court  as  well  be 
reproached  for  not  breeding  up  a  Succession  of  com 
plete  Ministers  ?  And  yet  it  is  evident,  that  if  Pro 
vidence  or  Nature  don't  supply  us  with  both,  the 
State  and  the  Stage  will  be  but  poorly  supported. 
If  a  Man  of  an  ample  Fortune  should  take  it  into 
his  Head  to  give  a  younger  Son  an  extraordinary 
Allowance  in  order  to  breed  him  a  great  Poet,  what 
might  we  suppose  would  be  the  Odds  that  his  Trouble 
and  Money  would  be  all  thrown  away  ?  Not  more 
than  it  would  be  against  the  Master  of  a  Theatre 
who  should  say,  this  or  that  young  Man  I  will  take 
care  shall  be  an  excellent  Actor !  Let  it  be  our 

1  M.  Perrin,  the  late  manager  of  the  Theatre  FranQais,  was 
virulently  attacked  for  giving  la  jeune  troupe  no  opportunities,  and 
so  doing  nothing  to  provide  successors  to  the  great  actors  of  his 
time. 


222  THE    LIFE    OF 

Excuse,  then,  for  that  mistaken  Charge  against  us ; 
that  since  there  was  no  Garden  or  Market  where 
accomplished  Actors  grew  or  were  to  be  sold,  we 
could  only  pick  them  up,  as  we  do  Pebbles  of  Value, 
by  Chance  :  We  may  polish  a  thousand  before  we 
can  find  one  fit  to  make  a  Figure  in  the  Lid  of  a 
Snuff-Box.  And  how  few  soever  we  were  able  to 
produce,  it  is  no  Proof  that  we  were  not  always  in 
search  of  them  :  Yet,  at  worst,  it  was  allow'd  that 
our  Deficiency  of  Men  Actors  was  not  so  visible  as 
our  Scarcity  of  tolerable  Women  :  But  when  it  is  con- 
sider'd,  that  the  Life  of  Youth  and  Beauty  is  too  short 
for  the  bringing  an  Actress  to  her  Perfection ;  were 
I  to  mention,  too,  the  many  frail  fair  Ones  I  remem 
ber  who,  before  they  could  arrive  to  their  Theatrical 
Maturity,  were  feloniously  stolen  from  the  Tree,  it 
would  rather  be  thought  our  Misfortune  than  our 
Fault  that  we  were  not  better  provided.1 

Even  the  Laws  of  a  Nunnery,  we  find,  are  thought 
no  sufficient  Security  against  Temptations  without 
Iron  Grates  and  high  Walls  to  inforce  them ;  which 
the  Architecture  of  a  Theatre  will  not  so  properly 
admit  of:  And  yet,  methinks,  Beauty  that  has  not 
those  artificial  Fortresses  about  it,  that  has  no  De 
fence  but  its  natural  Virtue  (which  upon  the  Stage 

1  After  the  death  of  Wilks  and  Booth,  and  the  retirement  of 
Gibber,  the  stage  experienced  a  period  of  dulness,  which  was  the 
natural  result  of  the  want  of  good  young  talent  in  the  lifetime  of 
the  old  actors.  Such  periods  seem  to  recur  at  stated  intervals  in 
the  history  of  the  stage. 


SUSANNA       MARIA       GIBBER 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  223 

has  more  than  once  been  met  with)  makes  a  much 
more  meritorious  Figure  in  Life  than  that  immur'd 
Virtue  which  could  never  be  try'd.  But  alas!  as  the 
poor  Stage  is  but  the  Show-glass  to  a  Toy-shop,  we 
must  not  wonder  if  now  and  then  some  of  the  Bawbles 
should  find  a  Purchaser. 

However,  as  to  say  more  or  less  than  Truth  are 
equally  unfaithful  in  an  Historian,  I  cannot  but  own 
that,  in  the  Government  of  the  Theatre,  I  have  known 
many  Instances  where  the  Merit  of  promising  Actors 
has  not  always  been  brought  forward,  with  the  Regard 
or  Favour  it  had  a  Claim  to :  And  if  I  put  my 
Reader  in  mind,  that  in  the  early  Part  of  this  Work 
I  have  shewn  thro'  what  continued  Difficulties  and 
Discouragements  I  myself  made  my  way  up  the  Hill 
of  Preferment,  he  may  justly  call  it  too  strong  a  Glare 
of  my  Vanity :  I  am  afraid  he  is  in  the  right ;  but  I 
pretend  not  to  be  one  of  those  chaste  Authors  that 
know  how  to  write  without  it :  When  Truth  is  to  be 
told,  it  may  be  as  much  Chance  as  Choice  if  it 
happens  to  turn  out  in  my  Favour  :  But  to  shew 
that  this  was  true  of  others  as  well  as  myself,  Booth 
shall  be  another  Instance.  In  1707,  when  Swiney 
was  the  only  Master  of  the  Company  in  the  Hay- 
Market-,  Wilks,  tho'  he  was  then  but  an  hired  Actor 
himself,  rather  chose  to  govern  and  give  Orders  than 
to  receive  them;  and  was  so  jealous  of  Booth's  rising, 
that  with  a  high  Hand  he  gave  the  Part  of  Pierre ', 
in  Venice  Preservd,  to  Mills  the  elder,  who  (not  to 
undervalue  him)  was  out  of  Sight  in  the  Pretensions 
ii.  p 


224  THE    LIFE    OF 

that  Booth,  then  young  as  he  was,  had  to  the  same 
Part : 1  and  this  very  Discouragement  so  strongly 
affected  him,  that  not  long  after,  when  several  of  us 
became  Sharers  with  Swiney,  Booth  rather  chose  to 
risque  his  Fortune  with  the  old  Patentee  in  Drury- 
Lane,  than  come  into  our  Interest,  where  he  saw  he 
was  like  to  meet  with  more  of  those  Partialities.2 
And  yet,  again,  Booth  himself,  when  he  came  to  be 
a  Menager,  would  sometimes  suffer  his  Judgment  to 
be  blinded  by  his  Inclination  to  Actors  whom  the 
Town  seem'd  to  have  but  an  indifferent  Opinion  of. 
This  again  inclines  me  to  ask  another  of  my  odd 
Questions,  viz.  Have  we  never  seen  the  same  passions 
govern  a  Court !  How  many  white  Staffs  and  great 
Places  do  we  find,  in  our  Histories,  have  been  laid  at 
the  Feet  of  a  Monarch,  because  they  chose  not  to 
give  way  to  a  Rival  in  Power,  or  hold  a  second 
Place  in  his  Favour?  How  many  Whigs  and  Tories 
have  chang'd  their  Parties,  when  their  good  or  bad 
Pretensions  have  met  with  a  Check  to  their  higher 
Preferment  ? 

Thus  we  see,  let  the  Degrees  and  Rank  of  Men  be 
ever  so  unequal,  Nature  throws  out  their  Passions 
from  the  same  Motives ;  'tis  not  the  Eminence  or 
Lowliness  of  either  that  makes  the  one,  when  pro- 
vok'd,  more  or  less  a  reasonable  Creature  than  the 

1  "Venice  Preserved"  was  acted  at  the  Haymarket  on  22nd 
February,  1707,  but  Dr.  Burney's  MSS.  do  not  give  the  cast.    On 
1 5th  November,  1707,  Pierre  was  played  by  Mills. 

2  For  an  account  of  this  matter,  see  ante,  page  70. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  225 

other :  The  Courtier  and  the  Comedian,  when  their 
Ambition  is  out  of  Humour,  take  just  the  same 
Measures  to  right  themselves. 

If  this  familiar  Stile  of  talking  should,  in  the 
Nostrils  of  Gravity  and  Wisdom,  smell  a  little  too 
much  of  the  Presumptuous  or  the  Pragmatical,  I  will  at 
least  descend  lower  in  my  Apology  for  it,  by  calling 
to  my  Assistance  the  old,  humble  Proverb,  viz.  'Tis 
an  ill  Bird  that,  &c.  Why  then  should  I  debase 
my  Profession  by  setting  it  in  vulgar  Lights,  when  I 
may  shew  it  to  more  favourable  Advantages  ?  And 
when  I  speak  of  our  Errors,  why  may  I  not  extenuate 
them  by  illustrious  Examples  ?  or  by  not  allowing 
them  greater  than  the  greatest  Men  have  been  subject 
to?  Or  why,  indeed,  may  I  not  suppose  that  a 
sensible  Reader  will  rather  laugh  than  look  grave  at 
the  Pomp  of  my  Parallels  ? 

Now,  as  I  am  tied  down  to  the  Veracity  of  an 
Historian  whose  Facts  cannot  be  supposed,  like  those 
in  a  Romance,  to  be  in  the  Choice  of  the  Author  to 
make  them  more  marvellous  by  Invention ;  if  I  should 
happen  to  sink  into  a  little  farther  Insignificancy,  let 
the  simple  Truth  of  what  I  have  farther  to  say,  be  my 
Excuse  for  it.  I  am  obliged,  therefore,  to  make  the 
Experiment,  by  shewing  you  the  Conduct  of  our 
Theatrical  Ministry  in  such  Lights  as  on  various 
Occasions  it  appeared  in. 

Though  Wilks  had  more  Industry  and  Application 
than  any  Actor  I  had  ever  known,  yet  we  found  it 
possible  that  those  necessary  Qualities  might  some- 


226  THE    LIFE    OF 

times  be  so  misconducted  as  not  only  to  make  them 
useless,  but  hurtful  to  our  Common-wealth  ; l  for  while 
he  was  impatient  to  be  foremost  in  every  thing,  he 
frequently  shock'd  the  honest  Ambition  of  others, 
whose  Measures  might  have  been  more  serviceable, 
could  his  Jealousy  have  given  way  to  them.  His 
own  Regards  for  himself,  therefore,  were,  to  avoid  a 
disagreeable  Dispute  with  him,  too  often  complied 
with  :  But  this  leaving  his  Diligence  to  his  own 
Conduct,  made  us,  in  some  Instances,  pay  dearly  for 
it :  For  Example ;  he  would  take  as  much,  or  more 
Pains,  in  forwarding  to  the  Stage  the  Water-gruel 
Work  of  some  insipid  Author  that  happen'd  rightly 
to  make  his  Court  to  him,2  than  he  would  for  the 

1  Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  255)  has  the  following  interesting 
statement  regarding  Gibber  and  Wilks,  which  he  gives  on  Victor's 
authority : — 

"  However  Colley  may  complain,  in  his  Apology,  of  Wilks's  fire 
and  impetuosity,  he  in  general  was  Gibber's  great  admirer;  he 
supported  him  on  all  occasions,  where  his  own  passion  or  interest 
did  not  interpose ;  nay,  he  deprived  the  inoffensive  Harry  Carey 
of  the  liberty  of  the  scenes,  because  he  had,  in  common  with 
others,  made  merry  with  Gibber  in  a  song,  on  his  being  appointed 
poet  laureat;  saying  at  the  same  time,  he  was  surprised  at  his 
impertinence,  in  behaving  so  improperly  to  a  man  of  such  great 
merit" 

2  John  Dennis,  in  an  advertisement  to  the  "  Invader  of  his 
Country,"  remarks  on  this  foible.     He  says  : — 

"  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  any  Author  who  brings  a  Play  to 
Drury-Lane,  must,  if  'tis  a  good  one,  be  sacrificed  to  the  Jealousie 
of  this  fine  Writer,  unless  he  has  either  a  powerful  Cabal,  or 
unless  he  will  flatter  Mr.  Robert  Wilks,  and  make  him  believe 
that  he  is  an  excellent  Tragedian."  The  "fine  Writer"  is,  of 
course,  Gibber. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  22; 

best  Play  wherein  it  was  not  his  Fortune  to  be 
chosen  for  the  best  Character.  So  great  was  his 
Impatience  to  be  employ'd,  that  I  scarce  remember, 
in  twenty  Years,  above  one  profitable  Play  we  could 
get  to  be  reviv'd,  wherein  he  found  he  was  to  make 
no  considerable  Figure,  independent  of  him :  But 
the  Tempest  having  done  Wonders  formerly,  he 
could  not  form  any  Pretensions  to  let  it  lie  longer 
dormant :  However,  his  Coldness  to  it  was  so  visible, 
that  he  took  all  Occasions  to  postpone  and  discourage 
its  Progress,  by  frequently  taking  up  the  morning- 
Stage  with  something  more  to  his  Mind.  Having 
been  myself  particularly  solicitous  for  the  reviving 
this  Play,  Dogget  (for  this  was  before  Booth  came 
into  the  Menagement)  consented  that  the  extra 
ordinary  Decorations  and  Habits  should  be  left  to 
my  Care  and  Direction,  as  the  fittest  Person  whose 
Temper  could  jossle  through  the  petulant  Opposition 
that  he  knew  Wilks  would  be  always  offering  to  it, 
because  he  had  but  a  middling  Part  in  it,  that  of 
Ferdinand :  Notwithstanding  which,  so  it  happen'd, 
that  the  Success  of  it  shew'd  (not  to  take  from  the 
Merit  of  Wilks)  that  it  was  possible  to  have  good 
Audiences  without  his  extraordinary  Assistance.  In 
the  first  six  Days  of  acting  it  we  paid  all  our  constant 
and  incidental  Expence,  and  shar'd  each  of  us  a 
hundred  Pounds :  The  greatest  Profit  that  in  so 
little  a  Time  had  yet  been  known  within  my 
Memory !  But,  alas  !  what  was  paltry  Pelf  to  Glory  ? 
That  was  the  darling  Passion  of  Wilks  s  Heart !  and 


228  THE    LIFE    OF 

not  to  advance  in  it  was,  to  so  jealous  an  Ambition, 
a  painful  Retreat,  a  mere  Shade  to  his  Laurels !  and 
the  common  Benefit  was  but  a  poor  Equivalent  to 
his  want  of  particular  Applause  !  To  conclude,  not 
Prince  Lewis  of  Baden,  though  a  Confederate  Gene 
ral  with  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  was  more  incon 
solable  upon  the  memorable  Victory  at  Blenheim,  at 
which  he  was  not  present,  than  our  Theatrical  Hero 
was  to  see  any  Action  prosperous  that  he  was  not 
himself  at  the  Head  of.  If  this,  then,  was  an  Infirmity 
in  Wilks,  why  may  not  my  shewing  the  same  Weak 
ness  in  so  great  a  Man  mollify  the  Imputation,  and 
keep  his  Memory  in  Countenance. 

This  laudable  Appetite  for  Fame  in  Wilks  was 
not,  however,  to  be  fed  without  that  constant  Labour 
which  only  himself  was  able  to  come  up  to  :  He 
therefore  bethought  him  of  the  means  to  lessen  the 
Fatigue,  and  at  the  same  time  to  heighten  his  Repu 
tation  ;  which  was,  by  giving  up  now  and  then  a 
Part  to  some  raw  Actor  who  he  was  sure  would  dis 
grace  it,  and  consequently  put  the  Audience  in  mind 
of  his  superior  Performance  :  Among  this  sort  of  In 
dulgences  to  young  Actors  he  happened  once  to  make 
a  Mistake  that  set  his  Views  in  a  clear  Light.  The 
best  Criticks,  I  believe,  will  allow  that  in  Shakespeare 
Macbeth  there  are,  in  the  Part  of  Macduff,  two  Scenes, 
the  one  of  Terror,  in  the  second  Act,  and  the  other 
of  Compassion,  in  the  fourth,  equal  to  any  that  dra- 
matick  Poetry  has  produc'd :  These  Scenes  Wilks 
had  acted  with  Success,  tho'  far  short  of  that  happier 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  2 29 

Skill  and  Grace  which  Monfort  had  formerly  shewn 
in  them.1  •  Such  a  Part,  however,  one  might  imagine 
would  be  one  of  the  last  a  good  Actor  would  chuse 
to  part  with  :  But  Wilks  was  of  a  different  Opinion  ; 
for  Macbeth  was  thrice  as  long,  had  more  great  Scenes 
of  Action,  and  bore  the  Name  of  the  Play  :  Now,  to 
be  a  second  in  any  Play  was  what  he  did  not  much 
care  for,  and  had  been  seldom  us'd  to :  This  Part  of 
Macduff,  therefore,  he  had  given  to  one  Williams,  as 
yet  no  extraordinary,  though  a  promising  Actor.2 
Williams,  in  the  Simplicity  of  his  Heart,  immediately 

1  "  In  the  trajedy  of  Mackbeth,  where   Wilks  acts  the  Part  of 
a  Man  whose  Family  has  been  murder'd  in  his  Absence,   the 
Wildness  of  his  Passion,  which  is  run  over  in  a  Torrent  of  calami 
tous  CircumstanceSj  does  but  raise  my  Spirits  and  give  me  the 
Alarm ;  but  when  he  skilfully  seems  to  be  out  of  Breath,  and  is 
brought  too  low  to  say  more ;  and  upon  a  second  Reflection,  cry, 
only  wiping  his  Eyes,  What,  both  my  Children  !     Both,  both  my 
Children  gone — There  is  no  resisting  a  Sorrow  which  seems  to 
have  cast  about  for  all  the  Reasons  possible  for  its  Consolation, 
but  has  no  Recource.     There  is  not  one  left,  but  both,  both  are 
murdered  !     Such  sudden  Starts  from  the  Thread  of  the  Discourse, 
and  a  plain  Sentiment  express'd  in  an  artless  Way,  are  the  irresis 
tible  Strokes  of  Eloquence  and  Poetry."—"  Tatler,"  No.  68,  Sep 
tember  1 5th,  1709. 

The  extraordinary  language  of  Macduff  is  quoted  from  Dave- 
nant's  mutilation  of  Shakespeare's  play.  Obviously  it  is  not 
Shakespeare's  language. 

2  Charles  Williams  was  a  young  actor  of  great  promise,  who 
died  in  1731.     On  the  production  of  Thomson's  "Sophonisba" 
at  Drury  Lane,  on  February  28th,  1730,  Gibber  played  Scipio, 
but  was  so  hissed  by  a  public  that  would  not  suffer  him  in  tragic 
parts,  that  he  resigned  the  character  to  Williams.      (See   Note  \ 
vol.  i.  page  179.)     This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  Williams  was 
an  actor  of  some  position,  for  Scipio  is  a  good  part. 


230  THE   LIFE   OF 

told  Booth  what  a  Favour  Wilks  had  done  him. 
Booth,  as  he  had  Reason,  thought  Wilks  had  here 
carried  his  Indulgence  and  his  Authority  a  little  too 
far ;  for  as  Booth  had  no  better  a  Part  in  the  same 
Play  than  that  of  Banquo,  he  found  himself  too  much 
disregarded  in  letting  so  young  an  Actor  take  Place 
of  him  :  Booth,  therefore,  who  knew  the  Value  of 
Macduff,  proposed  to  do  it  himself,  and  to  give 
Banquo  to  Williams ;  and  to  make  him  farther 
amends,  offer' d  him  any  other  of  his  Parts  that  he 
thought  might  be  of  Service  to  him.  Williams  was 
content  with  the  Exchange,  and  thankful  for  the 
Promise.  This  Scheme,  indeed,  (had  it  taken  Effect) 
might  have  been  an  Ease  to  Wilks,  and  possibly  no 

Disadvantage  to  the  Play ;  but  softly That  was 

not  quite  what  we  had  a  Mind  to  !  No  sooner,  then, 
came  this  Proposal  to  Wilks,  but  off  went  the  Masque 
and  out  came  the  Secret !  For  though  Wilks  wanted 
to  be  eas'd  of  the  Part,  he  did  not  desire  to  be  excelled 
in  it ;  and  as  he  was  not  sure  but  that  might  be  the 
case  if  Booth  were  to  act  it,1  he  wisely  retracted  his 

1  "  In  the  strong  expression  of  horror  on  the  murder  of  the 
King,  and  the  loud  exclamations  of  surprize  and  terror,  Booth 
might  have  exceeded  the  utmost  efforts  of  Wilks.  But,  in  the 
touches  of  domestic  woe,  which  require  the  feelings  of  the  tender 
father  and  the  affectionate  husband,  Wilks  had  no  equal.  His 
skill,  in  exhibiting  the  emotions  of  the  overflowing  heart  with 
corresponding  look  and  action,  was  universally  admired  and  felt. 
His  rising,  after  the  suppression  of  his  anguish,  into  ardent  and 
manly  resentment,  was  highly  expressive  of  noble  and  generous 
anger." — "Dram.  Misc.,"  ii.  183. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  231 

own  Project,  took  Macduff  again  to  himself,  and 
while  he  liv'd  never  had  a  Thought  of  running  the 
same  Hazard  by  any  farther  Offer  to  resign  it. 

Here  I  confess  I  am  at  a  Loss  for  a  Fact  in 
History  to  which  this  can  be  a  Parallel!  To  be 
weary  of  a  Post,  even  to  a  real  Desire  of  resigning 
it ;  and  yet  to  chuse  rather  to  drudge  on  in  it  than 
suffer  it  to  be  well  supplied  (though  to  share  in  that 
Advantage)  is  a  Delicacy  of  Ambition  that  Machiavil 
himself  has  made  no  mention  of :  Or  if  in  old  Rome, 
the  Jealousy  of  any  pretended  Patriot  equally  inclined 
to  abdicate  his  Office  may  have  come  up  to  it,  'tis 
more  than  my  reading  remembers. 

As  nothing  can  be  more  impertinent  than  shewing 
too  frequent  a  Fear  to  be  thought  so,  I  will,  without 
farther  Apology,  rather  risque  that  Imputation  than 
not  tell  you  another  Story  much  to  the  same  pur 
pose,  and  of  no  more  consequence  than  my  last.  To 
make  you  understand  it,  however,  a  little  Preface 
will  be  necessary. 

If  the  Merit  of  an  Actor  (as  it  certainly  does)  con 
sists  more  in  the  Quality  than  the  Quantity  of  his 
Labour;  the  other  Menagers  had  no  visible  Reason 
to  think  this  needless  Ambition  of  Wilks,  in  being 
so  often  and  sometimes  so  unnecessarily  employ 'd, 
gave  him  any  Title  to  a  Superiority  ;  especially  when 
our  Articles  of  Agreement  had  allow'd  us  all  to  be 
equal.  But  what  are  narrow  Contracts  to  great  Souls 
with  growing  Desires  ?  Wilks,  therefore,  who  thought 
himself  lessen'd  in  appealing  to  any  Judgment  but 


232  THE    LIFE    OF 

his  own,  plainly  discovered  by  his  restless  Behaviour 
(though  he  did  not  care  to  speak  out)  that  he  thought 
he  had  a  Right  to  some  higher  Consideration  for  his 
Performance :  This  was  often  Boot/is  Opinion,  as 
well  as  my  own.  It  must  be  farther  observ'd,  that 
he  actually  had  a  separate  Allowance  of  Fifty  Pounds 
a  Year  for  writing  our  daily  Play- Bills  for  the 
Printer  :  Which  Province,  to  say  the  Truth,  was  the 
only  one  we  car'd  to  trust  to  his  particular  Inten- 
dance,  or  could  find  out  for  a  Pretence  to  distinguish 
him.  But,  to  speak  a  plainer  Truth,  this  Pension, 
which  was  no  part  of  our  original  Agreement,  was 
merely  paid  to  keep  him  quiet,  and  not  that  we 
thought  it  due  to  so  insignificant  a  Charge  as  what  a 
Prompter  had  formerly  executed.  This  being  really 
the  Case,  his  frequent  Complaints  of  being  a  Drudge 
to  the  Company  grew  something  more  than  dis 
agreeable  to  us  :  For  we  could  not  digest  the  Impo 
sition  of  a  Man's  setting  himself  to  work,  and  then 
bringing  in  his  own  Bill  for  it.  Booth,  therefore,  who 
was  less  easy  than  I  was  to  see  him  so  often  setting 
a  Merit  upon  this  Quantity  of  his  Labour,  which 
neither  could  be  our  Interest  or  his  own  to  lay  upon 
him,  proposed  to  me  that  we  might  remove  this  pre 
tended  Grievance  by  reviving  some  Play  that  might 
be  likely  to  live,  and  be  easily  acted,  without  Wilkss 
having  any  Part  in  it.  About  this  time  an  unex 
pected  Occasion  offer' d  itself  to  put  our  Project  in 
practice  :  What  follow'd  our  Attempt  will  be  all  (if 
any  thing  be)  worth  Observation  in  my  Story. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  233 

In  1725  we  were  call'd  upon,  in  a  manner  that 
could  not  be  resisted,  to  revive  the  ProvoKd  Wife,1 
a  Comedy  which,  while  we  found  our  Account  in 
keeping  the  Stage  clear  of  those  loose  Liberties  it 
had  formerly  too  justly  been  charg'd  with,  we  had 
laid  aside  for  some  Years.2  The  Author,  Sir  John 
Vanbrugh,  who  was  conscious  of  what  it  had  too 
much  of,  was  prevail'd  upon3  to  substitute  a  new- 
written  Scene  in  the  Place  of  one  in  the  fourth 
Act,  where  the  Wantonness  of  his  Wit  and  Humour 
had  (originally)  made  a  Rake4  talk  like  a  Rake 
in  the  borrow'd  Habit  of  a  Clergyman :  To  avoid 
which  Offence,  he  clapt  the  same  Debauchee  into 
the  Undress  of  a  Woman  of  Quality :  Now  the 
Character  and  Profession  of  a  Fine  Lady  not 
being  so  indelibly  sacred  as  that  of  a  Churchman, 
whatever  Follies  he  expos'd  in  the  Petticoat  kept 
him  at  least  clear  of  his  former  Prophaneness, 

1  This  revival  took  place  nth  January,  1726.     The  play  was 
acted  eleven  times. 

2  Jeremy  Collier  specially  attacked  Vanbrugh  and  his  comedies 
for  their  immorality  and  profanity,  and  for  their  abuse  of  the 
clergy.    Even  less  strict  critics  than  Collier  considered  Vanbrugh's 
pieces  as  more  indecent  than  the  average  play.     Thus  the  author 
of  "Faction  Display'd,"  1704,  writes: — 

"  Van's  Baudy,  Plotless  Plays  were  once  our  boast, 
But  now  the  Poet's  in  the  Builder  lost." 

3  Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  455)  says  that  he  supposes  Gibber 
prevailed  upon  Vanbrugh  to  alter  the  disguise  which  Sir  John 
Brute  assumes  from  a  clergyman's  habit  to  that  of  a  woman  of 
fashion. 

4  Sir  John  Brute. 


234  THE  LIFE  OF 

and  were  now  innocently  ridiculous  to  the  Spec 
tator. 

This  Play  being  thus  refitted  for  the  Stage,  was,  as 
I  have  observ'd,  call'd  for  from  Court  and  by  many 
of  the  Nobility.1  Now,  then,  we  thought,  was  a 
proper  time  to  come  to  an  Explanation  with  Wilks : 
Accordingly,  when  the  Actors  were  summon' d  to 
hear  the  Play  read  and  receive  their  Parts,  I  ad- 
dress'd  myself  to  Wilks,  before  them  all,  and  told 
him,  That  as  the  Part  of  Constant,  which  he  seem'd 
to  chuse,  was  a  Character  of  less  Action  than  he 
generally  appear'd  in,  we  thought  this  might  be  a 
good  Occasion  to  ease  himself  by  giving  it  to 
another. — Here  he  look'd  grave. — That  the  Love- 
Scenes  of  it  were  rather  serious  than  gay  or  humour 
ous,  and  therefore  might  sit  very  well  upon  Booth. 
• Down  dropt  his  Brow,  and  furl'd  were  his  Fea 
tures. — That  if  we  were  never  to  revive  a  tolerable 
Play  without  him,  what  would  become  of  us  in  case 

of  his  Indisposition  ? Here  he  pretended  to  stir 

the  Fire. — That  as  he  could  have  no  farther  Advan 
tage  or  Advancement  in  his  Station  to  hope  for,  his 
acting  in  this  Play  was  but  giving  himself  an  unpro 
fitable  Trouble,  which  neither  Booth  or  I  desired  to 
impose  upon  him. — Softly. — Now  the  Pill  began  to 

1  Gibber's  meaning  is  not  very  clear,  but  if  he  intends  to  convey 
the  idea  that  it  was  for  this  revival  that  Vanbrugh  made  these 
alterations,  he  is  probably  wrong,  for  when  the  play  was  revived  at 
the  Haymarket,  on  igth  January,  1706,  it  was  announced  as 
"  with  alterations." 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  235 

gripe  him. In  a  Word,  this  provoking  Civility 

plung'd  him  into  a  Passion  which  he  was  no  longer 
able  to  contain ;  out  it  came,  with  all  the  Equipage 
of  unlimited  Language  that  on  such  Occasions  his 
Displeasure  usually  set  out  with ;  but  when  his 
Reply  was  stript  of  those  Ornaments,  it  was  plainly 
this  :  That  he  look'd  upon  all  I  had  said  as  a  con 
certed  Design,  not  only  to  signalize  our  selves  by 
laying  him  aside,  but  a  Contrivance  to  draw  him  into 
the  Disfavour  of  the  Nobility,  by  making  it  suppos'd 
his  own  Choice  that  he  did  not  act  in  a  Play  so  par 
ticularly  ask'd  for ;  but  we  should  find  he  could 
stand  upon  his  own  Bottom,  and  it  was  not  all  our 
little  caballing  should  get  our  Ends  of  him  :  To  which 
I  answer' d  with  some  Warmth,  That  he  was  mistaken 
in  our  Ends ;  for  Those,  Sir,  said  I,  you  have  an 
swer'd  already  by  shewing  the  Company  you  cannot 
bear  to  be  left  out  of  any  Play.  Are  not  you  every 
Day  complaining  of  your  being  over-labour'd  ?  And 
now,  upon  our  first  offering  to  ease  you,  you  fly  into 
a  Passion,  and  pretend  to  make  that  a  greater  Griev 
ance  than  t'other:  But,  Sir,  if  your  being  In  or  Out 
of  the  Play  is  a  Hardship,  you  shall  impose  it  upon 
yourself:  The  Part  is  in  your  Hand,  and  to  us  it  is 
a  Matter  of  Indifference  now  whether  you  take  it  or 
leave  it.  Upon  this  he  threw  down  the  Part  upon 
the  Table,  cross'd  his  Arms,  and  sate  knocking  his 
Heel  upon  the  Floor,  as  seeming  to  threaten  most 
when  he  said  least ;  but  when  no  body  persuaded 
him  to  take  it  up  again,  Booth,  not  chusing  to  push 


236  THE    LIFE    OF 

the  matter  too  far,  but  rather  to  split  the  difference 
of  our  Dispute,  said,  That,  for  his  Part,  he  saw  no 
such  great  matter  in  acting  every  Day ;  for  he  be 
lieved  it  the  wholsomest  Exercise  in  the  World ;  it 
kept  the  Spirits  in  motion,  and  always  gave  him  a 
good    Stomach.     Though    this    was,   in   a   manner, 
giving  up  the  Part  to  Wilks,  yet  it  did  not  allow  he 
did  us  any  Favour  in  receiving  it.     Here  I  observed 
Mrs.  Oldfield  began  to  titter  behind  her  Fan  :   But 
Wilks  being  more  intent  upon  what  Booth  had  said, 
reply'd,  Every  one  could  best  feel  for  himself,  but  he 
did  not  pretend  to  the  Strength  of  a  Pack-horse ; 
therefore  if  Mrs.  Oldfield  would  chuse  any  body  else 
to    play  with   her,1  he  should  be   very  glad  to  be 
excus'd :    This  throwing  the    Negative  upon   Mrs. 
Oldfield  was,   indeed,  a  sure  way  to   save  himself; 
which  I  could  not  help  taking  notice  of,  by  saying,  It 
was  making  but  an  ill  Compliment  to  the  Company 
to  suppose  there  was  but  one  Man  in  it  fit  to  play 
an  ordinary  Part  with  her.      Here  Mrs.  Oldfield  got 
up,  and  turning  me  half  round  to  come  forward,  said 
with   her   usual    Frankness,    Pooh !    you   are   all   a 
Parcel  of  Fools,  to  make  such  a  rout  about  nothing ! 
Rightly  judging  that  the  Person  most  out  of  humour 
would  not  be  more  displeas'd  at  her  calling  us  all  by 
the  same  Name.     As  she  knew,  too,  the  best  way  of 
ending  the  Debate  would  be  to  help  the  Weak ;  she 
said,  she  hop'd   Mr.   Wilks  would  not  so  far  mind 
what  had  past  as  to  refuse  his  acting  the  Part  with 
1  Mrs.  Oldfield  played  Lady  Brute,  whose  lover  Constant  is. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  237 

her ;  for  tho'  it  might  not  be  so  good  as  he  had  been 
us'd  to,  yet  she  believed  those  who  had  bespoke  the 
Play  would  expect  to  have  it  done  to  the  best 
Advantage,  and  it  would  make  but  an  odd  Story 
abroad  if  it  were  known  there  had  been  any  Diffi 
culty  in  that  point  among  ourselves.  To  conclude, 
Wilks  had  the  Part,  and  we  had  all  we  wanted; 
which  was  an  Occasion  to  let  him  see,  that  the  Acci 
dent  or  Choice  of  one  Menager's  being  more  employ Jd 
than  another  would  never  be  allow'd  a  Pretence  for 
altering  our  Indentures,  or  his  having  an  extraordi 
nary  Consideration  for  it.1 

However  disagreeable  it  might  be  to  have  this 
unsociable  Temper  daily  to  deal  with ;  yet  I  cannot 
but  say,  that  from  the  same  impatient  Spirit  that  had 
so  often  hurt  us,  we  still  drew  valuable  Advantages  : 
For  as  Wilks  seem'd  to  have  no  Joy  in  Life  beyond 
his  being  distinguish'd  on  the  Stage,  we  were  not 
only  sure  of  his  always  doing  his  best  there  himself, 
but  of  making  others  more  careful  than  without  the 
Rod  of  so  irascible  a  Temper  over  them  they  would 
have  been.  And  I  much  question  if  a  more  tempe 
rate  or  better  Usage  of  the  hired  Actors  could  have 
so  effectually  kept  them  to  Order.  Not  even  Better- 
ton  (as  we  have  seen)  with  all  his  good  Sense,  his 
great  Fame  and  Experience,  could,  by  being  only  a 
quiet  Example  of  Industry  himself,  save  his  Com 
pany  from  falling,  while  neither  Gentleness  could 

1  Wilks  played  Constant;  Booth,  Heartfree;  and  Gibber,  Sir 
John  Brute. 


238  THE   LIFE    OF 

govern  or  the  Consideration  of  their  common  Inte 
rest  reform  them.1  Diligence,  with  much  the  inferior 
Skill  or  Capacity,  will  beat  the  best  negligent  Com 
pany  that  ever  came  upon  a  Stage.  But  when  a  cer 
tain  dreaming  Idleness  or  jolly  Negligence  of  Re 
hearsals  gets  into  a  Body  of  the  Ignorant  and 
Incapable  (which  before  Wilks  came  into  Drury- 
Lane,  when  Powel  was  at  the  Head  of  them,  was  the 
Case  of  that  Company)  then,  I  say,  a  sensible  Spec 
tator  might  have  look'd  upon  the  fallen  Stage  as 
Portius  in  the  Play  of  Cato  does  upon  his  ruin'd 
Country,  and  have  lamented  it  in  (something  near) 
the  same  Exclamation,  viz. 

—  O  ye  Immortal  Bards ! 
What  Havock  do  these  Blockheads  make  among 

your  Works  ! 

How  are  the  boasted  Labours  of  an  Age 
Defacd and  tortitrd  by  Ungracious  Action!'* 

Of  this  wicked  Doings  Dryden,  too,  complains  in  one 
of  his  Prologues  at  that  time,  where,  speaking  of 
such  lewd  Actors,  he  closes  a  Couplet  with  the 
following  Line,  viz. 

And  murder  Plays,  which  they  miscall  Reviving? 

1  Gibber  begins  the  seventh  chapter  of  this  work  with  an 
account  of  Betterton's  troubles  as  a  manager.  See  vol.  i.  p.  227. 
See  also  vol.  i.  p.3i5- 

"  Ye  Gods,  what  Havock  does  Ambition  make 
Among  your  Works  !" — "Cato,"  act  i.  sc.  i. 

"  And,  in  despair  their  empty  pit  to  fill, 
Set  up  some  Foreign  monster  in  a  bill. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  239 

The  great  Share,  therefore,  that  Wilks,  by  his  ex 
emplary  Diligence  and  Impatience  of  Neglect  in 
others,  had  in  the  Reformation  of  this  Evil,  ought  in 
Justice  to  be  remember' d  ;  and  let  my  own  Vanity 
here  take  Shame  to  itself  when  I  confess,  That  had 
I  had  half  his  Application,  I  still  think  I  might  have 
shewn  myself  twice  the  Actor  that  in  my  highest 
State  of  Favour  I  appear'd  to  be.  But  if  I  have 
any  Excuse  for  that  Neglect  (a  Fault  which,  if  I 
loved  not  Truth,  I  need  not  have  mentioned)  it  is 
that  so  much  of  my  Attention  was  taken  up  in  an 
incessant  Labour  to  guard  against  our  private  Ani 
mosities,  and  preserve  a  Harmony  in  our  Menage- 
ment,  that  I  hope  and  believe  it  made  ample  Amends 
for  whatever  Omission  my  Auditors  might  sometimes 
know  it  cost  me  some  pains  to  conceal.  But  Nature 
takes  care  to  bestow  her  Blessings  with  a  more  equal 
Hand  than  Fortune  does,  and  is  seldom  known  to 
heap  too  many  upon  one  Man  :  One  tolerable  Talent 
in  an  Individual  is  enough  to  preserve  him  from 
being  good  for  nothing ;  and,  if  that  was  not  laid  to 
my  Charge  as  an  Actor,  I  have  in  this  Light  too,  less 
to  complain  of  than  to  be  thankful  for. 

Before  I  conclude  my  History,  it  may  be  expected 
I  should  give  some  further  View  of  these  my  last 
Cotemporaries  of  the  Theatre,  Wilks  and  Booth>  in 
their  different  acting  Capacities.  If  I  were  to  paint 

Thus  they  jog  on,  still  tricking,  never  thriving, 
And  murdering  plays,  which  they  miscall  reviving." 

"  Address  to  Granville,  on  his  Tragedy,  Heroic  Love" 
II.  Q 


240  THE    LIFE    OF 

them  in  the  Colours  they  laid  upon  one  another,  their 
Talents  would  not  be  shewn  with  half  the  Commen 
dation  I  am  inclined  to  bestow  upon  them,  when  they 
are  left   to   my  own  Opinion.     But  People  of  the 
same  Profession  are  apt  to  see  themselves  in  their 
own  clear  Glass  of  Partiality,  and  look  upon  their 
Equals  through  a  Mist  of  Prejudice.     It  might  be 
imagin'd,  too,  from  the  difference   of  their   natural 
Tempers,  that  Wilks  should  have  been  more  blind 
to  the  Excellencies  of  Booth  than  Booth  was  to  those 
of  Wilks  ;  but  it  was  not  so  :  Wilks  would  sometimes 
commend  Booth  to  me  ;  but  when  Wilks  excelPd,  the 
Other  was  silent:1    Booth  seem'd  to  think  nothing 
valuable  that  was  not  tragically  Great  or  Marvellous : 
Let   that  be  as  true   as   it  may ;  yet  I  have  often 
thought  that,  from  his  having  no  Taste  of  Humour 
himself,2  he  might  be  too  much  inclin'd  to  depreciate 
the  Acting  of  it  in  others.     The  very  slight  Opinion 

1  "During  Booth's  inability  to   act,  ....  Wilks  was  called 
upon  to  play  two  of  his  parts — Jaffier,  and  Lord  Hastings  in  Jane 
Shore.     Booth  was,  at   times,  in   all  other  respects  except  his 
power  to  go  on  the  stage,  in  good  health,  and  went  among  the 
players  for  his  amusement.      His  curiosity  drew  him  to  the  play 
house  on  the  nights  when  Wilks  acted  these  characters,  in  which 
himself  had   appeared  with   uncommon  lustre.     All   the  world 
admired  Wilks,  except  his  brother-manager :  amidst  the  repeated 
bursts  of  applause  which  he  extorted,  Booth  alone  continued 
silent." — Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  256). 

2  Aaron  Hill,  quoted  by  Victor  in  his  "Life  of  Barton  Booth," 
page  32,  says:  "The  Passions  which  he  found  in  Comedy  were 
not  strong  enough  to  excite  his  Fire ;  and  what  seem'd  Want  of 
Qualification,  was  only  Absence  of  Impression." 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  241 

which  in  private  Conversation  with  me  he  had  of 
Wilks  s  acting  Sir  Harry  Wildair,  was  certainly  more 
than  could  be  justified ;  not  only  from  the  general 
Applause  that  was  against  that  Opinion  (tho'  Ap 
plause  is  not  always  infallible)  but  from  the  visible 
Capacity  which  must  be  allow'd  to  an  Actor,  that 
could  carry  such  slight  Materials  to  such  a  height  of 
Approbation  :  For,  though  the  Character  of  Wildair 
scarce  in  any  one  Scene  will  stand  against  a  just 
Criticism ;  yet  in  the  Whole  there  are  so  many  gay 
and  false  Colours  of  the  fine  Gentleman,  that  nothing 
but  a  Vivacity  in  the  Performance  proportionably 
extravagant  could  have  made  them  so  happily  glare 
upon  a  common  Audience. 

Wilks  y  from  his  first  setting  out,  certainly  form'd 
his  manner  of  Acting  upon  the  Model  of  Monfort ; * 

as  Booth  did  his  on  that  of  Betterton.     But Hand 

passibus  czquis :  I  cannot  say  either  of  them  came  up 
to  their  Original.  Wilks  had  not  that  easy  regulated 
Behaviour,  or  the  harmonious  Elocution  of  the  One, 
nor  Booth  that  Conscious  Aspect  of  Intelligence  nor 
requisite  Variation  of  Voice  that  made  every  Line 
the  Other  spoke  seem  his  own  natural  self-deliver'd 
Sentiment :  Yet  there  is  still  room  for  great  Com 
mendation  of  Both  the  first  mentioned ;  which  will 
not  be  so  much  diminish'd  in  my  having  said  they 
were  only  excell'd  by  such  Predecessors,  as  it  will  be 

1  Wilks  can  have  seen  Mountfort  only  in  his  early  career,  for 
he  did  not  leave  Ireland  till,  at  least,  1692;  and  in  that  year 
Mountfort  was  killed. 


242  THE    LIFE    OF 

rais'd  in  venturing  to  affirm  it  will  be  a  longer  time 
before  any  Successors  will  come  near  them.  Thus 
one  of  the  greatest  Praises  given  to  Virgil  is,  that 
no  Successor  in  Poetry  came  so  near  Him  as  He 
himself  did  to  Homer. 

Though  the  Majority  of  Publick  Auditors  are  but 
bad  judges  of  Theatrical  Action,  and  are  often  de- 
ceiv'd  into  their  Approbation  of  what  has  no  solid 
Pretence  to  it ;  yet,  as  there  are  no  other  appointed 
Judges  to  appeal  to,  and  as  every  single  Spectator 
has  a  Right  to  be  one  of  them,  their  Sentence  will 
be  definitive,  and  the  Merit  of  an  Actor  must,  in 
some  degree,  be  weigh'd  by  it :  By  this  Law,  then, 
Wilks  was  pronounced  an  Excellent  Actor ;  which, 
if  the  few  true  Judges  did  not  allow  him  to  be,  they 
were  at  least  too  candid  to  slight  or  discourage  him. 
Booth  and  he  were  Actors  so  directly  opposite  in 
their  Manner,  that  if  either  of  them  could  have  bor 
rowed  a  little  of  the  other's  Fault,  they  would  Both 
have  been  improv'd  by  it  :  If  Wilks  had  sometimes 
too  violent  a  Vivacity ;  Booth  as  often  contented 
himself  with  too  grave  a  Dignity :  The  Latter  seem'd 
too  much  to  heave  up  his  Words,  as  the  other  to 
dart  them  to  the  Ear  with  too  quick  and  sharp  a 
Vehemence :  Thus  Wilks  would  too  frequently  break 
into  the  Time  and  Measure  of  the  Harmony  by  too 
many  spirited  Accents  in  one  Line;  and  Booth,  by  too 
solemn  a  Regard  to  Harmony,  would  as  often  lose 
the  necessary  Spirit  of  it  :  So  that  (as  I  have  ob- 
serv'd)  could  we  have  sometimes  rais'd  the  one  and 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  243 

sunk  the  other,  they  had  both  been  nearer  to  the 
mark.  Yet  this  could  not  be  always  objected  to 
them:  They  had  their  Intervals  of  unexceptionable 
Excellence,  that  more  than  balanced  their  Errors. 
The  Master-piece  of  Booth  was  Othello:  There  he 
was  most  in  Character,  and  seemed  not  more  to  ani 
mate  or  please  himself  in  it  than  his  Spectators.  'Tis 
true  he  owed  his  last  and  highest  Advancement  to 
his  acting  Cato :  But  it  was  the  Novelty  and  critical 
Appearance  of  that  Character  that  chiefly  swell'd  the 
Torrent  of  his  Applause  :  For  let  the  Sentiments  of 
a  declaiming  Patriot  have  all  the  Sublimity  that 
Poetry  can  raise  them  to ;  let  them  be  deliver'd,  too, 
with  the  utmost  Grace  and  Dignity  of  Elocution  that 
can  recommend  them  to  the  Auditor :  Yet  this  is 
but  one  Light  wherein  the  Excellence  of  an  Actor 
can  shine  :  But  in  Othello  we  may  see  him  in  the 
Variety  of  Nature :  There  the  Actor  is  carried 
through  the  different  Accidents  of  domestick  Happi 
ness  and  Misery,  occasionally  torn  and  tortur'd  by 
the  most  distracting  Passion  that  can  raise  Terror 
or  Compassion  in  the  Spectator.  Such  are  the 
Characters  that  a  Master  Actor  would  delight  in  ; 
and  therefore  in  Othello  I  may  safely  aver  that  Booth 
shew'd  himself  thrice  the  Actor  that  he  could  in  Cato. 
And  yet  his  Merit  in  acting  Cato  need  not  be  dimi- 
nish'd  by  this  Comparison. 

Wilks  often  regretted  that  in  Tragedy  he  had  not 
the  full  and  strong  Voice  of  Booth  to  command  and 
grace  his  Periods  with  :  But  Booth  us'd  to  say,  That 


244  THE    LIFE    OF 

if  his  Ear  had  been  equal  to  it,  Wilks  had  Voice 
enough  to  have  shewn  himself  a  much  better  Trage 
dian.  Now,  though  there  might  be  some  Truth  in 
this ;  yet  these  two  Actors  were  of  so  mixt  a  Merit, 
that  even  in  Tragedy  the  Superiority  was  not  always 
on  the  same  side  :  In  Sorrow,  Tenderness,  or  Resig 
nation,  Wilks  plainly  had  the  Advantage,  and  seem'd 
more  pathetically  to  feel,  look,  and  express  his  Ca 
lamity  :  But  in  the  more  turbulent  Transports  of  the 
Heart,  Booth  again  bore  the  Palm,  and  left  all  Com 
petitors  behind  him.  A  Fact  perhaps  will  set  this 
Difference  in  a  clearer  Light.  I  have  formerly  seen 
Wilks  act  Othello >,*  and  Booth  the  Earl  of  Essex?  in 
which  they  both  miscarried  :  Neither  the  exclamatory 
Rage  or  Jealousy  of  the  one,  or  the  plaintive  Dis 
tresses  of  the  other,  were  happily  executed,  or  became 
either  of  them  ;  though  in  the  contrary  Characters 
they  were  both  excellent. 

When  an  Actor  becomes  and  naturally  Looks  the 
Character  he  stands  in,  I  have  often  observ'd  it  to 
have  had  as  fortunate  an  Effect,  and  as  much  re- 

1  Wilks  first  played  Othello  in  this  country  on  June  22nd,  1710, 
for  Gibber's  benefit.      Steele   draws  attention   to  the   event   in 
"Tatler,"  No.  187,  and  in  No.  188  states  his  intention  of  stealing 
out  to  see  it,  "  out  of  Curiosity  to  observe  how  Wilks  and  Gibber 
touch  those  Places  where  Betterton  and  Sandford  so  very  highly 
excelled."     Gibber  was  the  lago  on  this  occasion.     Steele  pro 
bably  found  little  to  praise  in  either. 

2  The  Earl  of  Essex,  in  Banks's  "Unhappy  Favourite,"  was  one 
of  Wilks's  good  parts,  in  which  Steele  ("  Tatler,"  No.  14)  specially 
praises  him.     Booth  acted  the  part  at  Drury  Lane  on  November 
2,5th,  1709. 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  245 

commended  him  to  the  Approbation  of  the  common 
Auditors,  as  the  most  correct  or  judicious  Utterance 
of  the  Sentiments  :  This  was  strongly  visible  in  the 
favourable  Reception  Wilks  met  with  in  Hamlet, 
where  I  own  the  Half  of  what  he  spoke  was  as  pain 
ful  to  my  Ear  as  every  Line  that  came  from  Bet- 
terton  was  charming ; 1  and  yet  it  is  not  impossible, 
could  they  have  come  to  a  Poll,  but  Wilks  might 
have  had  a  Majority  of  Admirers  :  However,  such  a 
Division  had  been  no  Proof  that  the  Preeminence 
had  not  still  remained  in  Betterton ;  and  if  I  should 
add  that  Booth,  too,  was  behind  Betterton  in  Othello, 
it  would  be  saying  no  more  than  Booth  himself  had 
Judgment  and  Candour  enough  to  know  and  confess. 
And  if  both  he  and  Wilks  are  allow' d,  in  the  two 
above-mention'd  Characters,  a  second  Place  to  so 
great  a  Master  as  Betterton,  it  will  be  a  Rank  of 
Praise  that  the  best  Actors  since  my  Time  might 
have  been  proud  of. 

I  am  now  come  towards  the  End  of  that  Time 
through  which  our  Affairs  had  long  gone  forward  in 
a  settled  Course  of  Prosperity.  From  the  Visible 
Errors  of  former  Menagements  we  had  at  last  found 
the  necessary  Means  to  bring  our  private  Laws  and 
Orders  into  the  general  Observance  and  Approba 
tion  of  our  Society :  Diligence  and  Neglect  were 
under  an  equal  Eye ;  the  one  never  fail'd  of  its 
Reward,  and  the  other,  by  being  very  rarely  excus'd, 

1  See  Gibber  on  Betterton's  Hamlet  and  on  Wilks's  mistakes 
in  the  part,  vol.  i.  page  100. 


246  THE    LIFE    OF 

was  less  frequently  committed.  You  are  now  to 
consider  us  in  our  height  of  Favour,  and  so  much  in 
fashion  with  the  politer  Part  of  the  Town,  that  our 
House  every  Saturday  seem'd  to  be  the  appointed 
Assembly  of  the  First  Ladies  of  Quality  :  Of  this, 
too,  the  common  Spectators  were  so  well  appriz'd, 
that  for  twenty  Years  successively,  on  that  Day,  we 
scarce  ever  fail'd  of  a  crowded  Audience  ;  for  which 
Occasion  we  particularly  reserv'd  our  best  Plays, 
acted  in  the  best  Manner  we  could  give  them.1 

Among  our  many  necessary  Reformations  ;  what 
not  a  little  preserved  to  us  the  Regard  of  our  Audi 
tors,  was  the  Decency  of  our  clear  Stage ; 2  from 
whence  we  had  now,  for  many  Years,  shut  out  those 
idle  Gentlemen,  who  seem'd  more  delighted  to  be 
pretty  Objects  themselves,  than  capable  of  any  Plea 
sure  from  the  Play  :  Who  took  their  daily  Stands 
where  they  might  best  elbow  the  Actor,  and  come 
in  for  their  Share  of  the  Auditor's  Attention.  In 
many  a  labour  d  Scene  of  the  warmest  Humour  and 
of  the  most  affecting  Passion  have  I  seen  the  best 
Actors  disconcerted,  while  these  buzzing  Muscatos 
have  been  fluttering  round  their  Eyes  and  Ears. 
How  was  it  possible  an  Actor,  so  embarrass'd,  should 
keep  his  Impatience  from  entering  into  that  different 

1  In  the  Theatre  Frangais  a  similar  arrangement  holds  to  this 
day,  Tuesday  being  now  the  fashionable  night.  M.  Perrin,  the  late 
manager,  was  accused  of  a  too  great  attention  to  his  Abonnes  du 
Mardi,  to  the  detriment  of  the  theatre  and  of  the  general  public. 

2  See  ante,  vol.  i.  page  234. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  247 

Temper  which  his  personated  Character  might  re 
quire  him  to  be  Master  of  ? 

Future  Actors  may  perhaps  wish  I  would  set  this 
Grievance  in  a  stronger  Light ;  and,  to  say  the  Truth, 
where  Auditors  are  ill-bred,  it  cannot  well  be  ex 
pected  that  Actors  should  be  polite.  Let  me  there 
fore  shew  how  far  an  Artist  in  any  Science  is  apt  to 
be  hurt  by  any  sort  of  Inattention  to  his  Perform 
ance. 

While  the  famous  Corelli?  at  Rome,  was  playing 
some  Musical  Composition  of  his  own  to  a  select 
Company  in  the  private  Apartment  of  his  Patron- 
Cardinal,  he  observed,  in  the  height  of  his  Harmony, 
his  Eminence  was  engaging  in  a  detach'd  Conversa 
tion;  upon  which  he  suddenly  stopt  short,  and  gently 
laid  down  his  Instrument :  The  Cardinal,  surpriz'd 
at  the  unexpected  Cessation,  ask'd  him  if  a  String 
was  broke  ?  To  which  Corelli,  in  an  honest  Con 
science  of  what  was  due  to  his  Musick,  reply'd,  No, 
Sir,  I  was  only  afraid  I  interrupted  Business.  His 
Eminence,  who  knew  that  a  Genius  could  never 
shew  itself  to  Advantage  where  it  had  not  its  proper 
Regards,  took  this  Reproof  in  good  Part,  and  broke 
off  his  Conversation  to  hear  the  whole  Concerto  play'd 
over  again. 

Another  Story  will  let  us  see  what  Effect  a  mis 
taken  Offence  of  this  kind  had  upon  the  French 

1  Arcangelo  Corelli,  a  famous  Italian  musician,  born  1653, 
died  1713,  who  has  been  called  the  father  of  modern  instrumental 
music. 


248  THE    LIFE   OF 

Theatre ;  which  was  told  me  by  a  Gentleman  of  the 
long  Robe,  then  at  Paris,  and  who  was  himself  the  in 
nocent  Author  of  it.  At  the  Tragedy  of  Zaire,  while 
the  celebrated  Mademoiselle  Gossmlwzs  delivering  a 
Soliloquy,  this  Gentleman  was  seiz'd  with  a  sudden 
Fit  of  Coughing,  which  gave  the  Actress  some  Sur 
prize  and  Interruption  ;  and  his  Fit  increasing,  she 
was  forced  to  stand  silent  so  long,  that  it  drew  the 
Eyes  of  the  uneasy  Audience  upon  him ;  when  a 
French  Gentleman,  leaning  forward  to  him,  ask'd  him, 
If  this  Actress  had  given  him  any  particular  Offence, 
that  he  took  so  publick  an  Occasion  to  resent  it  ? 
The  English  Gentleman,  in  the  utmost  Surprize, 
assured  him,  So  far  from  it,  that  he  was  a  particular 
Admirer  of  her  Performance ;  that  his  Malady  was 
his  real  Misfortune,  and  if  he  apprehended  any 
Return  of  it,  he  would  rather  quit  his  Seat  than  dis 
oblige  either  the  Actress  or  the  Audience. 

This  publick  Decency  in  their  Theatre  I  have 
myself  seen  carried  so  far,  that  a  Gentleman  in  their 
second  Loge,  or  Middle-Gallery,  being  observ'd  to  sit 
forward  himself  while  a  Lady  sate  behind  him,  a 
loud  Number  of  Voices  call'd  out  to  him  from  the 
Pit,  Place  a  la  Dame !  Place  a  la  Dame  !  When  the 

1  Jeanne  Catherine  Gaussin,  a  very  celebrated  actress  of  the 
Comedie  Frangaise,  was  the  original  representative  of  Zaire,  in 
Voltaire's  tragedy,  to  which  Gibber  refers.  She  made  her  first 
Parisian  appearance  in  1731;  she  retired  in  1763,  and  died  on 
9th  June,  1767.  Voltaire's  "Zaire"  owed  much  of  its  success  to 
her  extraordinary  ability. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  249 

Person  so  offending,  either  not  apprehending  the 
Meaning  of  the  Clamour,  or  possibly  being  some 
John  Trott  who  fear'd  no  Man  alive ;  the  Noise  was 
continued  for  several  Minutes  ;  nor  were  the  Actors, 
though  ready  on  the  Stage,  suffered  to  begin  the  Play 
'till  this  unbred  Person  was  laugh'd  out  of  his  Seat, 
and  had  placed  the  Lady  before  him. 

Whether  this  Politeness  observ'd  at  Plays  may 
be  owing  to  their  Clime,  their  Complexion,  or  their 
Government,  is  of  no  great  Consequence ;  but  if  it 
is  to  be  acquired,  methinks  it  is  pity  our  accom- 
plish'd  Countrymen,  who  every  Year  import  so  much 
of  this  Nation's  gawdy  Garniture,  should  not,  in 
this  long  Course  of  our  Commerce  with  them,  have 
brought  over  a  little  of  their  Theatrical  Good-breed 
ing  too. 

I  have  been  the  more  copious  upon  this  Head, 
that  it  might  be  judg'd  how  much  it  stood  us  upon 
to  have  got  rid  of  those  improper  Spectators  I  have 
been  speaking  of :  For  whatever  Regard  we  might 
draw  by  keeping  them  at  a  Distance  from  our  Stage, 
I  had  observed,  while  they  were  admitted  behind 
our  Scenes,  we  but  too  often  shew'd  them  the  wrong 
Side  of  our  Tapestry;  and  that  many  a  tolerable 
Actor  was  the  less  valued  when  it  was  known  what 
ordinary  Stuff  he  was  made  of. 

Among  the  many  more  disagreeable  Distresses 
that  are  almost  unavoidable  in  the  Government  of  a 
Theatre,  those  we  so  often  met  with  from  the  Perse 
cution  of  bad  Authors  were  what  we  could  never  in- 


250  THE   LIFE  OF 

tirely  get  rid  of.  But  let  us  state  both  our  Cases,  and 
then  see  where  the  Justice  of  the  Complaint  lies. 
'Tis  true,  when  an  ingenious  Indigent  had  taken 
perhaps  a  whole  Summer's  Pains,  invitd  Minerva, 
to  heap  up  a  Pile  of  Poetry  into  the  Likeness  of  a 
Play,  and  found,  at  last,  the  gay  Promise  of  his 
Winter's  Support  was  rejected  and  abortive,  a  Man 
almost  ought  to  be  a  Poet  himself  to  be  justly  sen 
sible  of  his  Distress !  Then,  indeed,  great  Allow 
ances  ought  to  be  made  for  the  severe  Reflections 
he  might  naturally  throw  upon  those  pragmatical 
Actors,  who  had  no  Sense  or  Taste  of  good  Writing. 
And  yet,  if  his  Relief  was  only  to  be  had  by  his 
imposing  a  bad  Play  upon  a  good  Set  of  Actors, 
methinks  the  Charity  that  first  looks  at  home  has  as 
good  an  Excuse  for  its  Coldness  as  the  unhappy 
Object  of  it  had  a  Plea  for  his  being  reliev'd  at  their 
Expence.  But  immediate  Want  was  not  always  con- 
fess'd  their  Motive  for  Writing;  Fame,  Honour,  and 
Parnassian  Glory  had  sometimes  taken  a  romantick 
Turn  in  their  Heads  ;  and  then  they  gave  themselves 
the  Air  of  talking  to  us  in  a  higher  Strain — Gen 
tlemen  were  not  to  be  so  treated  !  the  Stage  was  like 
to  be  finely  govern'd  when  Actors  pretended  to  be 
Judges  of  Authors,  &c.  But,  dear  Gentlemen  !  if  they 
were  good  Actors,  why  not  ?  How  should  they  have 
been  able  to  act,  or  rise  to  any  Excellence,  if  you  sup 
posed  them  not  to  feel  or  understand  what  you 
offer'd  them  ?  Would  you  have  reduc'd  them  to  the 
meer  Mimickry  of  Parrots  and  Monkies,  that  can  only 


MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  251 

prate,  and  play  a  great  many  pretty  Tricks,  without 
Reflection  ?  Or  how  are  you  sure  your  Friend,  the 
infallible  Judge  to  whom  you  read  your  fine  Piece, 
might  be  sincere  in  the  Praises  he  gave  it  ?  Or, 
indeed,  might  not  you  have  thought  the  best  Judge 
a  bad  one  if  he  had  disliked  it  ?  Consider,  too,  how 
possible  it  might  be  that  a  Man  of  Sense  would  not 
care  to  tell  you  a  Truth  he  was  sure  you  would  not 
believe !  And  if  neither  Dryden,  Congreve,  Steele, 
Addison,  nor  Farquhar,  (if  you  please)  ever  made 
any  Complaint  of  their  Incapacity  to  judge,  why  is 
the  World  to  believe  the  Slights  you  have  met  with 
from  them  are  either  undeserved  or  particular  ?  In 
deed  !  indeed,  I  am  not  conscious  that  we  ever  did 
you  or  any  of  your  Fraternity  the  least  Injustice!1 
Yet  this  was  not  all  we  had  to  struggle  with ;  to 

1  Gibber  has  been  strongly  censured  for  his  treatment  of  authors. 
"  The  Laureat "  gives  the  following  account  of  an  author's  expe 
riences  :  "  The  Court  sitting.  Chancellor  Cibber  (for  the  other  two, 

like  M rs  in  Chancery,  sat  only  for  Form  sake,  and  did  not 

presume  to  judge)  nodded  to  the  Author  to  open  his  Manuscript. 
The  Author  begins  to  read,  in  which  if  he  failed  to  please  the  Cor 
rector,  he  wou'd  condescend  sometimes  to  read  it  for  him  :  When, 
if  the  play  strook  him  very  warmly,  as  it  wou'd  if  he  found  any 
Thing  new  in  it,  in  which  he  conceived  he  cou'd  particularly  shine 
as  an  Actor,  he  would  lay  down  his  Pipe,  (for  the  Chancellor 
always  smoaked  when  he  made  a  Decree)  and  cry,  By  G — d  there 
is  something  in  this :  1  do  not  know  but  it  may  do  ;  but  I  will  play 
such  a  Part.  Well,  when  the  Reading  was  finished,  he  made 
his  proper  Corrections  and  sometimes  without  any  Propriety; 
nay,  frequently  he  very  much  and  very  hastily  maimed  what  he 
pretended  to  mend"  (p.  95).  The  author  also  accuses  Cibber 
of  delighting  in  repulsing  dramatic  writers,  which  he  called 


252  THE    LIFE    OF 

supersede  our  Right  of  rejecting,  the  Recommenda 
tion,  or  rather  Imposition,  of  some  great  Persons 
(whom  it  was  not  Prudence  to  disoblige)  sometimes 
came  in  with  a  high  Hand  to  support  their  Preten 
sions  ;  and  then,  cout  que  cout,  acted  it  must  be  !  So 
when  the  short  Life  of  this  wonderful  Nothing  was 
over,  the  Actors  were  perhaps  abus'd  in  a  Preface 
for  obstructing  the  Success  of  it,  and  the  Town 
publickly  damn'd  us  for  our  private  Civility.1 

I  cannot  part  with  these  fine  Gentlemen  Authors 
without  mentioning  a  ridiculous  Disgraccia  that  befel 
one  of  them  many  Years  ago :  This  solemn  Bard, 
who,  like  Bays,  only  writ  for  Fame  and  Reputation ; 
on  the  second  Day's  publick  Triumph  of  his  Muse, 

"  Choaking  of  Singing  birds."  However,  in  Gibber's  defence, 
Genest's  opinion  may  be  quoted  (iii.  346) :  "  After  all  that  has 
been  said  against  Chancellor  Gibber,  it  does  not  appear  that 
he  often  made  a  wrong  decree  :  most  of  the  good  plays  came  out 
at  Drury  Lane — nor  am  I  aware  that  Gibber  is  much  to  be  blamed 
for  rejecting  any  play,  except  the  Siege  of  Damascus  in  the  first 
instance." 

1  In  the  preface  to  "The  Lunatick"  (1705)  the  actors  are 
roundly  abused  ;  but  the  most  amusing  attack  on  actors  is  in  the 
following  title-page  :  "  The  Sham  Lawyer :  or  the  Lucky  Extrava 
gant.  As  it  was  Damnably  Acted  at  the  Theatre-Royal  in  Drury 
Lane."  This  play,  by  Drake,  was  played  in  1697,  and  among  the 
cast  were  Gibber,  Bullock,  Johnson,  Haines,  and  Pinkethman. 

Bellchambers  notes :  "  Such  was  the  case  in  Dennis's  '  Comic 
Gallant,'  where  one  of  the  actors,  whom  I  believe  to  be  Bullock, 
is  most  severely  handled."  I  think  he  is  wrong  in  imagining  Bul 
lock  to  be  the  actor  criticised.  Dennis  says  that  Falstaffe  was  the 
character  that  was  badly  sustained,  and  I  cannot  believe  Bullock's 
position  would  entitle  him  to  play  that  part  in  1702.  Genest  (ii. 
250)  suggests  Powell  as  the  delinquent. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  253 

marching  in  a  stately  full-bottom'd  Perriwig  into  the 
Lobby  of  the  House,  with  a  Lady  of  Condition  in 
his  Hand,  when  raising  his  Voice  to  the  Sir  Fopling 
Sound,  that  became  the  Mouth  of  a  Man  of  Quality, 
and  calling  out — Hey !  Box-keeper,  where  is  my 
Lady  such-a-one's  Servant,  was  unfortunately  an- 
swer'd  by  honest  John  Trott,  (which  then  happen'd 
to  be  the  Box-keeper's  real  Name)  Sir,  we  have  dis- 
miss'd,  there  was  not  Company  enough  to  pay 
Candles.  In  which  mortal  Astonishment  it  may  be 
sufficient  to  leave  him.  And  yet  had  the  Actors 
refus'd  this  Play,  what  Resentment  might  have  been 
thought  too  severe  for  them  ? 

Thus  was  our  Administration  often  censured  for 
Accidents  which  were  not  in  our  Power  to  prevent : 
A  possible  Case  in  the  wisest  Governments.  If, 
therefore,  some  Plays  have  been  preferr'd  to  the 
Stage  that  were  never  fit  to  have  been  seen  there, 
let  this  be  our  best  Excuse  for  it.  And  yet,  if  the 
Merit  of  our  rejecting  the  many  bad  Plays  that 
press'd  hard  upon  us  were  wetgh'd  against  the 
few  that  were  thus  imposed  upon  us,  our  Conduct  in 
general  might  have  more  Amendments  of  the  Stage 
to  boast  of  than  Errors  to  answer  for.  But  it  is  now 
Time  to  drop  the  Curtain. 

During  our  four  last  Years  there  happen'd  so  very 
little  unlike  what  has  been  said  before,  that  I  shall 
conclude  with  barely  mentioning  those  unavoidable 
Accidents  that  drew  on  our  Dissolution.  The  first, 
that  for  some  Years  had  led  the  way  to  greater,  was 


254  THE   LIFE   OF 

the  continued  ill  State  of  Health  that  render'd  Booth x 
incapable  of  appearing  on  the  Stage.  The  next  was 
the  Death  of  Mrs.  Oldfield?  which  happen' d  on  the 
23d  of  October,  1730.  About  the  same  Time,  too, 
Mrs.  Porter,  then  in  her  highest  Reputation  for 
Tragedy,  was  lost  to  us  by  the  Misfortune  of  a  dis 
located  Limb  from  the  overturning  of  a  Chaise?  And 
our  last  Stroke  was  the  Death  of  Wilks,  in  September 
the  Year  following,  1731.* 

1  Gibber's  account  of  Booth  is  so  complete  that  there  is  little 
to  be  added  to  it.     Booth  was  born  in  1681,  and  was  of  a  good 
English  family.      He  first  appeared   in  Dublin  in   1698,  under 
Ashbury,   but   returned   to   England   in    1700,   and   joined  the 
Lincoln's   Inn  Fields  Company.      He  followed  the  fortunes  of 
Betterton  until,  as  related  by  Gibber  in  Chapter  XII.,  the  secession 
of  1709  occurred.     From  that  point  to  his  retirement  the  only 
event   demanding   special   notice   is   his   marriage   with   Hester 
Santlow  (see  p.  96  of  this  volume).     This  took  place  in  1719, 
and  was  the  cause  of  much  criticism  and  slander,  some  of  which 
Bellchambers  reproduces  with  evident  gusto.      I  do  not  repeat 
his    statements,   because   I    consider  them    wildly   extravagant. 
They  are  fully  refuted  by  Booth's  will,  from  the  terms  of  which 
it  is  clear  that  his   marriage   was   a  happy   one,   and   that  he 
esteemed  his  wife  as  well  as  loved  her.     Booth's  illness,  to  which 
Gibber  refers  above,  seized  him  early  in  the  season  of  1726-27, 
and  though  after  it  he  was   able  to  play  occasionally,  he  was 
never    restored    to   health.      His   last   appearance   was   on   pth 
January,  1728,  but  he  lived  till  loth  May,  1733. 

2  See  memoir  of  Mrs.  Oldfield  at  end  of  volume. 

3  Mrs.  Porter  met  with  the  accident  referred  to  in  the  summer 
of  1731.     See  Davies,  "Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  495.     She  returned  to 
the  stage  in  January,  1733. 

4  Wilks  died   27th   September,    1732.      He  was   of   English 
parentage,  and  was  born  near  Dublin,  whither  his   father  had 
removed,  about    1665.     He  was   in   a   Government   office,  but 


CHARLES       F  LE  ETWO  OU. 


MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  255 

Notwithstanding  such  irreparable  Losses;  whether, 
when  these  favourite  Actors  were  no  more  to  be 
had,  their  Successors  might  not  be  better  born 
with  than  they  could  possibly  have  hop'd  while  the 
former  were  in  being;  or  that  the  generality  of 
Spectators,  from  their  want  of  Taste,  were  easier  to 
be  pleas'd  than  the  few  that  knew  better :  Or  that, 
at  worst,  our  Actors  were  still  preferable  to  any 
other  Company  of  tjie  several  then  subsisting :  Or  to 
whatever  Cause  it  might  be  imputed,  our  Audiences 
were  far  less  abated  than  our  Apprehensions  had 
suggested.  So  that,  though  it  began  to  grow  late  in 
Life  with  me;  having  still  Health  and  Strength 
enough  to  have  been  as  useful  on  the  Stage  as  ever, 
I  was  under  no  visible  Necessity  of  quitting  it :  But 
so  it  happen'd  that  our  surviving  Fraternity  having 
got  some  chimserical,  and,  as  I  thought,  unjust 
Notions  into  their  Heads,  which,  though  I  knew  they 
were  without  much  Difficulty  to  be  surmounted  ;  I 
chose  not,  at  my  time  of  Day,  to  enter  into  new  Con 
tentions  ;  and  as  I  found  an  Inclination  in  some  of 
them  to  purchase  the  whole  Power  of  the  Patent 
into  their  own  Hands ;  I  did  my  best  while  I  staid 

about  1691  he  gave  this  up,  and  went  on  the  stage.  After  a 
short  probation  in  Dublin  he  came  over  to  London,  and  was 
engaged  by  Rich,  with  whom  he  remained  till  about  1695.  He 
returned  to  Dublin,  and  became  so  great  a  favourite  there,  that  it 
is  said  that  the  Lord  Lieutenant  issued  a  warrant  to  prevent  his 
leaving  again  for  London.  However,  he  came  to  Drury  Lane 
about  1698,  and  from  that  time  his  fortunes  are  closely  interwoven 
with  Gibber's,  and  are  fully  related  by  him. 

II.  R 


256  THE   LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER. 

with  them  to  make  it  worth  their  while  to  come  up 
to  my  Price ;  and  then  patiently  sold  out  my  Share  to 
the  first  Bidder,  wishing  the  Crew  I  had  left  in  the 
Vessel  a  good  Voyage.1 

What  Commotions  the  Stage  fell  into  the  Year 
following,  or  from  what  Provocations  the  greatest 
Part  of  the  Actors  revolted,  and  set  up  for  them 
selves  in  the  little  House  in  the  Hay- Market,  lies 
not  within  the  Promise  of  my  Title  Page  to  relate : 
Or,  as  it  might  set  some  Persons  living  in  a  Light 
they  possibly  might  not  chuse  to  be  seen  in,  I  will 
rather  be  thankful  for  the  involuntary  Favour  they 
have  done  me,  than  trouble  the  Publick  with  private 
Complaints  of  fancied  or  real  Injuries. 

FINIS. 

1  "The  Laureat,"  p.  96  :  "As  to  the  Occasion  of  your  parting 
with  your  Share  of  the  Patent,  I  cannot  think  you  give  us  the  true 
Reason ;  for  I  have  been  very  well  inform'd,  it  was  the  Intention, 
not  only  of  you,  but  of  your  Brother  Menagers,  as  soon  as  you 
could  get  the  great  Seal  to  your  Patent,  (which  stuck  for  some 
Time,  the  then  Lord  Chancellor  not  being  satisfied  in  the  Legality 
of  the  Grant)  to  dispose  it  to  the  best  Bidder.  This  was  at  first 
kept  as  a  Secret  among  you ;  but  as  soon  as  the  Grant  was  com- 
pleated,  you  sold  to  the  first  who  wou'd  come  up  to  your  Price." 


SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER. 

BY   ROBERT   W.    LOWE. 

THE  transaction  to  which  Gibber  alludes  in  his 
last  paragraph  is  one  with  regard  to  which  he 
probably  felt  that  his  conduct  required  some  expla 
nation.  After  the  death  of  Steele,  a  Patent  was 
granted  to  Gibber,  Wilks,  and  Booth,  empowering 
them  to  give  plays  at  Drury  Lane,  or  elsewhere,  for  a 
period  of  twenty-one  years  from  ist  September,  1 73  2. * 

1  Among  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Papers  is  a  copy  of  a  warrant 
to  prepare  this  Patent.  It  is  dated  i5th  May,  1731,  and  the 
Patent  itself  is  dated  3rd  July,  1731,  though  it  did  not  take  effect 
till  ist  September,  1732.  The  reason  for  this  is  noted  on  page  196. 


258  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER   TO 

Just  after  it  came  into  operation  Wilks  died,  and  his 
share  in  the  Patent  became  the  property  of  his  wife. 
Booth,  shortly  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
May,  1733,  sold  half  of  his  share  for  ,£2,500,  to 
John  Highmore,  a  gentleman  who  seems  to  have 
been  a  typical  amateur  manager,  being  possessed  of 
some  money,  no  judgment,  and  unbounded  vanity. 
In  making  this  purchase  Highmore  stipulated  that, 
with  half  of  Booth's  share,  he  should  receive  the 
whole  of  his  authority ;  and  he  accordingly  exercised 
the  same  power  of  control  as  had  belonged  to  Booth. 
Mrs.  Wilks  deputed  Mr.  John  Ellys,  the  painter,  to 
be  her  representative,  so  that  Gibber  had  to  manage 
the  affairs  of  the  theatre  in  conjunction  with  a  couple 
of  amateurs,  both  ignorant,  and  one  certainly  pre 
sumptuous  also.  He  delegated  his  authority  for 
a  time  to  his  scapegrace  son,  Theophilus,  who  pro 
bably  made  himself  so  objectionable  that  Highmore 
was  glad  to  buy  the  father's  share  in  the  Patent  also.1 
He  paid  three  thousand  guineas  for  it,  thus  purchas 
ing  a  whole  share  for  a  sum  not  much  exceeding  that 
which  he  had  paid  for  one-half.  Highmore's  first  pur 
chase  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  17-32,  his  second 
somewhere  about  May,  1733;  so  that,  when  Drury 

1  "The  Grub-Street  Journal,"  yth  June,  1733,  says:  "One 
little  Creature,  only  the  Deputy  and  Representative  of  his  Father, 
was  turbulent  enough  to  balk  their  Measures,  and  counterbalance 

all  the  Civility  and  Decency  in  the  other  scale To  remedy 

this,  the  Gentleman  who  bought  into  the  Patent  first, .purchased 
his  Father's  Share,  and  set  him  down  in  the  same  obscure  Place 
from  whence  he  rose." 


THE    LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  259 

Lane  opened  for  the  season  1733-34,  he  possessed 
one-half  of  the  three  shares  into  which  the  Patent 
was  divided.  Mrs.  Wilks  retained  her  share,  but  Mrs. 
Booth  had  sold  her  remaining  half-share  to  Henry 
Giffard,1  the  manager  of  Goodman's  Fields  Theatre, 
at  which,  eight  years  later,  Garrick  made  his  first 
appearance.  Highmore  had  scarcely  entered  upon 
his  fuller  authority  when  a  revolt  was  spirited  up 
among  his  actors,  the  chief  of  whom  left  him  in  a 
body  to  open  the  little  theatre  in  the  Hay  market. 
Shameful  to  relate,  the  ringleader  in  this  mutiny  was 
Theophilus  Gibber ;  and,  what  is  still  more  disgraceful, 
Colley  Gibber  lent  them  his  active  countenance. 
Benjamin  Victor,  though  a  devoted  friend  of  Colley 
Gibber,  characterizes  the  transaction  as  most  dis 
honest,2  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  accuracy 
of  his  information  or  the  soundness  of  his  judgment. 
Davies  ("  Life  of  Garrick,"  i.  76)  states  that  Colley 

1  In  "The  Case  of  John  Mills,   James  Quin,"  &c.,  given  in 
Theo.  Gibber's  "  Dissertations  "  (Appendix,  p.  48),  it  is  stated  that 
"  such  has  been  the  Inveteracy  of  some  of  the  late  Patentees  to 
the  Actors,  that  when  Mrs.  Booth,  Executrix  of  her  late  Husband, 
Barton  Booth,  Esq;  sold  her  sixth  part  of  the  Patent  to  Mr. 
Giffard,  she  made  him  covenant,  not   to   sell   or   assign   it   to 
Actors." 

2  "  I  must  own,  I  was  heartily  disgusted  with  the  Conduct  of 
the  Family  of  the  Gibbers  on  this  Occasion,  and  had  frequent  and 
violent  Disputes  with  Father  and  Son,  whenever  we  met !     It 
appeared  to  me  something  shocking  that  the  Son  should  immedi 
ately  render  void,  and  worthless,  what  the  Father  had  just  received 
Thirty-one  Hundred  and  Fifty  Pounds  for,  as  a  valuable  Con 
sideration." — Victor's  "History,"  i.  14. 


260  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

Gibber  applied  to  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  then  Lord 
Chamberlain,  for  a  new  License  or  Patent  in  favour 
of  his  son  ;  but  the  Duke,  on  inquiring  into  the 
matter,  was  so  disgusted  at  Gibber's  conduct  that  he 
refused  the  application  with  strong  expressions  of 
disapprobation.  The  seceders  had  of  course  no 
Patent  or  License  under  which  to  act ;  but,  from  the 
circumstance  that  they  took  the  name  of  Comedians 
of  His  Majesty's  Revels,  it  is  probable  that  they  re 
ceived  a  License  from  the  Master  of  the  Revels, 
Charles  Henry  Lee.  Highmore,  deserted  by  every 
actor  of  any  importance  except  Miss  Raftor  (Mrs. 
Clive),  Mrs.  Horton,  and  Bridgwater,  was  at  his 
wits'  end.  He  summoned  the  seceders  for  an 
infringement  of  his  Patent,  but  his  case,  tried  on 
5th  November,  1733,  was  dismissed,  apparently  on 
some  technical  plea.  He  could  not  prevail  upon  the 
Lord  Chamberlain  to  exert  his  authority  to  close  the 
Haymarket,  so  he  determined  to  try  the  efficacy  of 
the  Vagrant  Act  (12  Queen  Anne)  against  the 
irregular  performers.  John  Harper  accordingly  was 
arrested  on  i2th  November,  1733,  and  committed  to 
Bridewell.  On  the  2Oth  of  the  same  month  he  was 
tried  before  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  as  a  rogue 
and  vagabond ;  but,  whether  from  the  circumstance 
that  Harper  was  a  householder,  or  from  a  decision 
that  playing  at  the  Haymarket  was  not  an  act  of 
vagrancy,1  he  was  discharged  upon  his  own  recogni- 

1  Gibber,  in  Chapter  VIII.  (vol.  i.  p.  283),  alludes  to  this  trial, 
and  gives  the  first  of  these  two  suppositions  as  the  reason  of 


THE  LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  26 1 

zance,  and  the  manager's  action  failed.  He  had 
therefore  to  bring  actors  from  the  country  to  make 
up  his  company ;  but  of  these  Macklin  was  the  only 
one  who  proved  of  any  assistance,  and  the  unfortunate 
Highmore,  after  meeting  deficiencies  of  fifty  or  sixty 
pounds  each  week  for  some  months,  was  forced  to 
give  up  the  struggle.1  Another  amateur  then  stepped 
into  the  breach — Charles  Fleetwood,  who  purchased 
the  shares  of  Highmore  and  Mrs.  Wilks  for  little 
more  than  the  former  had  paid  for  his  own  portion. 
Giffard  seems  to  have  retained  his  sixth  of  the 
Patent.  Fleetwood  first  set  about  regaining  the 
services  of  the  seceders,  and,  as  the  majority  of  them 
were  probably  ashamed  of  following  the  leadership 
of  Theophilus  Gibber,  he  succeeded  at  once.  The 
last  performance  at  the  Haymarket  took  place  on 
9th  March,  1734,  and  on  the  i2th  the  deserters  re 
appeared  on  Drury  Lane  stage.  This  transaction 
ended  Colley  Gibber's  direct  interference  in  the 
affairs  of  the  theatre,  and  his  only  subsequent  con 
nection  with  the  stage  was  as  an  actor.  His  first 
appearance  after  his  retirement  was  on  3ist  October, 
1734,  when  he  played  his  great  character  of  Bayes. 
During  the  season  he  acted  Lord  Foppington,  Sir 


Harper's  acquittal,  but  Victor  ("History,"  i.  24)  says  that  he  has 
been  informed  that  this  is  an  error. 

1  "  He  was  a  Man  of  Humanity  and  strict  Honour;  many  In 
stances  fatally  proved,  that  his  Word,  when  solemnly  given,  (which 
was  his  Custom)  was  sufficient  for  the  Performance,  though  ever 
so  injurious  to  himself." — -Victor's  "  History,"  i.  25. 


262  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER    TO 

John  Brute,  Sir  Courtly  Nice,  and  Sir  Fopling 
Flutter;  and  on  26th  February,  1735,  he  appeared 
as  Fondlewife  for  the  benefit  of  his  old  friend  and 
partner,  Owen  Swiney.1  At  the  end  of  the  season 
1 734-5,  an  arrangement  was  under  consideration  by 
which  a  committee  of  actors,  including  Mills,  John 
son,  Miller,  Theo.  Gibber,  Mrs.  Heron,  Mrs.  Butler, 
and  others,  were  to  rent  Drury  Lane  from  Fleetwood, 
for  fifteen  years,  at  ,£920  per  annum ;  but  the  ar 
rangement  does  not  appear  to  have  been  carried 
out,  and  Fleetwood  continued  Patentee  of  Drury 
Lane  until  1744-5. 

The  rival  company,  under  the  control  of  John 
Rich,  acted  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  from  i8th  De 
cember,  1714,  to  5th  December,  1732;  then  they 
removed  to  the  new  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  which 
was  opened  on  7th  December  with  "The  Way  of 
the  World."  For  several  seasons  both  companies 
dragged  along  very  uneventfully,  so  far  as  the  artistic 
advancement  of  the  stage  was  concerned,  although 
the  passing  of  the  Licensing  Act  of  1737,  already 
fully  commented  on,  was  an  event  of  great  historical 
importance.  Artistically  the  period  was  one  of  rest, 
if  not  of  retrogression  ;  the  methods  of  the  older 
time  were  losing  their  meaning  and  vitality,  and 
were  becoming  mere  dry  bones  of  tradition.  The 
high  priest  of  the  stage  was  James  Quin,  a  great 
actor,  though  not  of  the  first  order  ;  and  among  the 
younger  players  perhaps  the  most  notable  was  Charles 
1  See  ante,  Chapter  IX.  (vol.  i.  p.  330,  note  l). 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  263 

Macklin,  rough  in  manner  as  in  person,  but  full  of 
genius  and  a  thorough  reformer.  Garrick  was  the 
direct  means  of  revolutionizing  the  methods  of  the 
theatre,  and  it  was  his  genius  that  swept  away  the 
formality  and  dulness  of  the  old  school ;  but  it  ought 
to  be  remembered  that  the  way  was  prepared  for 
him  by  Charles  Macklin,  whose  rescue  of  Shylock 
from  low  comedy  was  an  achievement  scarcely  infe 
rior  to  Garrick's  greatest.  During  this  dull  period 
Gibber's  appearances  must  have  had  an  importance 
and  interest,  which,  after  Garrick's  advent,  they 
lacked. 

In  the  season  1735-6  he  acted  Sir  Courtly  Nice 
and  Bayes,  and  in  the  next  season  his  play  of  "  Papal 
Tyranny  in  the  Reign  of  King  John,"  a  miserable 
mutilation  of  Shakespeare's  "  King  John,"  was  put 
in  rehearsal  at  Drury  Lane.  But  such  a  storm  of 
ridicule  and  abuse  arosewhen  this  play  was  announced, 
that  Gibber  withdrew  it,1  and  it  was  not  seen  till 
1745,  when,  the  nation  being  in  fear  of  a  Popish 
Pretender,  it  was  produced  at  Covent  Garden  from 
patriotic  motives. 

Gibber's  implacable  foe,  Fielding,  was  one  of  the 
ringleaders  in  the  attack  on  him  for  mutilating 
Shakespeare  ;  and  in  his  "  Historical  Register  for 

1  "The  clamour  against  the  author,  whose  presumption  was 
highly  censured  for  daring  to  alter  Shakspeare,  increased  to  such 
a  height,  that  Colley,  who  had  smarted  more  than  once  for 
dabbling  in  tragedy,  went  to  the  playhouse,  and,  without  saying  a 
word  to  any  body,  took  the  play  from  the  prompter's  desk, 
marched  off  with  it  in  his  pocket." — "Dram.  Misc.,"  i.  5. 


264  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

,"  1  in  which  Colley  is  introduced  as  "  Ground- 


Ivy,"  2  gives  him  the  following  excellent  rebuke  :— 

"  Medley.  As  Shakspear  is  already  good  enough 
for  People  of  Taste,  he  must  be  alter'  d  to  the  Palates 
of  those  who  have  none  ;  and  if  you  will  grant  that, 
who  can  be  properer  to  alter  him  for  the  worse  ?" 

In  1738,  having,  as  Victor  says  ("History,"  ii.  48), 
"  Health  and  Strength  enough  to  be  as  useful  as 
ever,"  he  agreed  with  Fleetwood  to  perform  a  round 
of  his  favourite  characters.  He  was  successful  in 
comedy,  but  in  tragedy  he  felt  that  his  strength  was 
no  longer  sufficient  ;  and  Victor  relates  that,  going 
behind  the  scenes  while  the  third  act  of  "  Richard  III." 
was  on,  he  was  told  in  a  whisper  by  the  old  man, 
"  That  he  would  give  fifty  Guineas  to  be  then  sitting 
in  his  easy  Chair  by  his  own  Fire-side."  Probably 

1  Produced  at  the  Haymarket,  1737. 

2  "  Enter  Ground-Ivy. 
Ground.  What  are  you  doing  here  ? 

Apollo.  I  am  casting  the  Parts  in  the  Tragedy  of  King  John. 

Ground.  Then  you  are  casting  the  Parts  in  a  Tragedy  that 
won't  do. 

Apollo.  How,  Sir  !  Was  it  not  written  by  Shakespear^  and  was 
not  Shakespear  one  of  the  greatest  Genius's  that  ever  lived  ? 

Ground.  No,  Sir,  Shakespear  was  a  pretty  Fellow,  and  said  some 
things  that  only  want  a  little  of  my  licking  to  do  well  enough  ; 
King  John,  as  now  writ,  will  not  do  -  But  a  Word  in  your  Ear, 
I  will  make  him  do. 

Apollo.  How? 

Ground.  By  Alteration,  Sir-  it  was  a  Maxim  of  mine  when  I 
was  at  the  Head  of  Theatrical  Affairs,  that  no  Play,  tho'  ever  so 
good,  would  do  without  Alteration."  —  "  Historical  Register," 
act  hi.  sc.  i. 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  265 

he  never  played  in  tragedy  again  until  the  production 
of  his  own  "  Papal  Tyranny" — at  least  I  cannot  dis 
cover  that  he  did.  In  1740-1  he  acted  Fondle  wife 
for  the  benefit  of  Chetwood,  late  prompter  at  Drury 
Lane,  who  was  then  imprisoned  in  the  King's  Bench 
for  debt;  and  his  reception  was  so  favourable  that 
he  repeated  the  character  a  second  and  third  time 
for  his  own  profit.1  Upon  these  occasions  he  spoke 
an  " Epilogue  upon  Himself/'  which  is  given  in  "  The 
Egotist "  (p.  57^  seg.)t  and  forms  so  good  an  epitome 
of  Gibber's  philosophy,  besides  giving  an  excellent 
specimen  of  his  style,  that  I  quote  it  at  length  :— 

"  Now  worn  with  Years,  and  yet  in  Folly  strong, 

Now  to  act  Parts,  your  Grandsires  saw  when  Young  ! 

What  could  provoke  me  ! — I  was  always  wrong. 

To  hope,  with  Age,  I  could  advance  in  Merit  ! 

Even  Age  well  acted,  asks  a  youthful  Spirit : 

To  feel  my  Wants,  yet  shew  'em  thus  detected, 

Is  living  to  the  Dotage,  I  have  acted  ! 

T'  have  acted  only  Once  excus'd  might  be, 

When  I  but  play'd  the  Fool  for  Charity ! 

But  fondly  to  repeat  it ! — Senseless  Ninny  ! 

— No — now — as  Doctors  do — I  touch  the  Guinea  ! 

And  while  I  find  my  Doses  can  affect  you, 

'Twere  greater  Folly  still,  should  I  neglect  you. 

Though  this  Excuse,  at  White's  they'll  not  allow  me ; 

The  Ralliers  There,  in  DifFrent  Lights  will  shew  me. 

They'll  tell  you  There  :  I  only  act— sly  Rogue  ! 

To  play  with  Cocky  \ 2 — O  !  the  doting  Dog  ! 

And  howsoe'er  an  Audience  might  regard  me, 


1  These  appearances  took  place  on  January  i2th,  i3th,  and 
1 4th,  1741. 

2  Fondlewife's  pet  name  for  his  wife  Lsetitia. 


266  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

One — tiss  ye  Nykin?  amply  might  reward  me  ! 

Let  them  enjoy  the  Jest,  with  Laugh  incessant  ! 

For  True,  or  False,  or  Right,  or  Wrong,  'tis  pleasant ! 

Mixt,  in  the  wisest  Heads,  we  find  some  Folly ; 

Yet  I  find  few  such  happy  Fools — as  Colley  ! 

So  long  t'have  liv'd  the  daily  Satire's  Stroke,  ^ 

Unmov'd  by  Blows,  that  might  have  fell'd  an  Oak,    V 

And  yet  have  laugh'd  the  labour'd  Libel  to  a  Joke.  J 

Suppose  such  want  of  Feeling  prove  me  dull ! 

What's  my  Aggressor  then — a  peevish  Fool ! 

The  strongest  Satire's  on  a  Blockhead  lost ; 

For  none  but  Fools  or  Madmen  strike  a  Post. 

If  for  my  Folly's  larger  List  you  call, 

My  Life  has  lump'd  'em  !     There  you'll  read  'em  all. 

There  you'll  find  Vanity,  wild  Hopes  pursuing ; 

A  wide  Attempt :  to  save  the  Stage  from  Ruin  ! 

There  I  confess,  I  have  out-done  my  own  out-doing  !  2 

As  for  what's  left  of  Life,  if  still  'twill  do ; 

'Tis  at  your  Service,  pleas'd  while  pleasing  you  : 

But  then,  mistake  me  not !  when  you've  enough ; 

One  slender  House  declares  both  Parties  off: 

Or  Truth  in  homely  Proverb  to  advance, 

I  pipe  no  longer  than  you  care  to  dance." 

The  representative  of  Laetitia  (or  Cocky]  alluded 
to  in  this  Epilogue  was  Mrs.  Woffington,  with  whom 
stage-history  has  identified  the  "  Susannah  "  of  the 
following  well-known  anecdote,  which  I  quote  from 
an  attack  upon  Gibber,  published  in  1 742,  entitled  "  A 
Blast  upon  Bays ;  or,  A  New  Lick  at  the  Laureat." 
The  author  writes  :  "  No  longer  ago  than  when  the 
Bedford  Coffee  house  was  in  Vogue,  and  Mr.  Cibber 
was  writing  An  Apology  for  his  own  Life,  there  was 

1  Lsetitia's  pet  name  for  Fondlewife.     See  vol.  i.  page  206. 

2  An  allusion  to  his  own  phrase  in  the  Preface  to  "  The  Pro 
voked  Husband."     See  vol.  i.  page  51. 


THE  LIFE    OF    MR.   COLLEY    GIBBER.  267 

one  Mr.  61 (the  Importer  of  an  expensive  Hay- 
market  Comedy)  an  old  Acquaintance  of  Mr.  Gibber, 
who,  as  well  as  he,  retain'd  a  Smack  of  his  antient 
Taste.  In  those  Days  there  was  also  a  fair  smirking 
Damsel,  whose  name  was  Susannah-Maria  *  *  *, 
who  happen'd  to  have  Charms  sufficient  to  revive 
the  decay' d  Vigour  of  these  two  Friends.  They 
equally  pursued  her,  even  to  the  Hazard  of  their 
Health,  and  were  frequently  seen  dangling  after  her, 
with  tottering  Knees,  at  one  and  the  same  Time. 
You  have  heard,  Sir,  what  a  witty  Friend  of  your 
own  said  once  on  this  Occasion:  Lo!  yonder  goes 
Susannah  and  the  two  Elders."  Even  Genest  has 
applied  this  anecdote  to  Mrs.  Woffington,  but  the 
only  circumstance  that  lends  confirmation  to  this  view 

is  the  fact  that  Swiney  (who  is  Mr.  S )  left  her  his 

estate.  Against  this  must  be  set  the  important  points 
that  Susannah  Maria  was  not  Mrs.  Woffington's  name, 
and  that  the  joke  depended  for  its  neatness  and  ap 
plicability  on  the  name  Susannah.  The  narrator  of 
the  story,  also,  gives  no  hint  that  the  damsel  was  the 
famous  actress,  as  he  certainly  would  have  done  ; 
and,  most  important  of  all,  it  must  be  pointed  out 
that  at  the  period  mentioned,  that  is,  while  Cibber 
was  writing  his  "  Apology,"  Mrs.  Woffington  had  not 
appeared  in  London.  The  "Apology"  was  published 
in  April,  1 740,  and  had  probably  been  completed  in 
the  preceding  November;  while  Mrs.  Woffington 
made  her  London  dtbut  on  6th  November,  I74O.1 

1  The  name  "  Susannah  Maria"  naturally  suggests  Susanna  Maria 
Arne,  the  wife  of  Theo.  Cibber ;  but  the  anecdote  cannot  refer  to 


268  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER    TO 

During  the  season  1741-2,  "At  the  particular 
desire  of  several  persons  of  Quality,"  Gibber  made  a 
few  appearances  at  Covent  Garden  ;  the  purpose 
being,  in  all  probability,  to  oppose  the  extraordinary 
attraction  of  Garrick  at  Goodman's  Fields.  In  1 743-4 
he  played  at  the  same  theatre  as  Garrick,'  being 
engaged  at  Drury  Lane  for  a  round  of  his  famous 
characters ;  but  there  is  no  record  that  Garrick  and 
he  appeared  in  the  same  play.  For  the  new  actor 
Gibber  had,  naturally  enough,  no  great  admiration. 
He  must  have  resented  deeply  the  alteration  in  the 
method  of  acting  tragedy  which  Garrick  introduced, 
and  is  always  reported  as  having  lost  no  opportunity 
of  expressing  his  low  opinion  of  the  new  school.1 

His  last  appearances  on  the  stage  were  in  direct 
rivalry  with  his  young  opponent.  As  has  been 
related,  Gibber's  alteration  of  "  King  John,"  which 
had  been  "burked"  in  1736-7,  was  produced,  from 
patriotic  motives,  in  1 745.  As  the  principal  purpose 

her,  because  she  was  married  in  1734,  some  years  before  Gibber 
began  his  "  Apology." 

1  Davies  ("  Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  501)  says  :  "  Mr.  Garrick  asked 
him  [Gibber]  if  he  had  not  in  his  possession,  a  comedy  or  two  of 
his  own  writing. — 'What  then  ?  '  said  Gibber. — 'I  should  be  glad 
to  have  the  honour  of  bringing  it  into  the  world.' — '  Who  have  you 
to  act  it  ?  ' — *  Why,  there  are  (said  Garrick)  Clive  and  Pritchard, 
myself,  and  some  others,'  whom  he  named. — '  No  !  (said  the  old 
man,  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff,  with  great  nonchalance)  it  won't  do.'" 
Davies  (iii.  502)  relates  how  Garrick  drew  on  himself  a  rebuke 
from  Gibber.  Discussing  in  company  the  old  school,  "Garrick 
observed  that  the  old  style  of  acting  was  banishing  the  stage,  and 
would  not  go  down.  '  How  do  you  know  ?  (said  Gibber)  j  you 
never  tried  it.' " 


THE    LIFE    OF   MR.    COLLEY  GIBBER.  269 

of  the  alteration  was  to  make  King  John  resent  the 
insolence  of  the  Pope's  Nuncio  in  a  much  more 
emphatic  manner  than  he  does  in  Shakespeare,  it 
may  easily  be  imagined  how  wretched  a  production 
Gibber's  play  is.  Genest's  criticism  is  not  too  strong 
when  he  says  (iv.  161):  "  In  a  word,  Gibber  has  on 
this  occasion  shown  himself  utterly  void  of  taste, 
judgment  and  modesty — well  might  Fielding  call 
him  Ground- Ivy,  and  say  that  no  man  was  better 
calculated  to  alter  Shakspeare  for  the  worse  .... 
in  the  Epilogue  (which  was  spoken  by  Mrs.  Clive) 
Gibber  speaks  of  himself  with  modesty,  but  in  the 
dedication,  being  emboldened  by  the  favourable  re 
ception  of  his  Tragedy,  he  has  the  insolence  to  say 
'  /  have  endeavoured  to  make  it  more  like  a  play  than 
I  found  it  in  Shakspeare' '  "  Papal  Tyranny"  was 
produced  atCovent  Garden  on  i5th  February,  I745,1 

1  "  Papal  Tyranny  in  the  Reign  of  King  John." 

KING  JOHN Mr.  Quin. 

ARTHUR,  his  Nephew Miss  J.  Gibber. 

SALISBURY    .     . Mr.  Ridout. 

PEMBROKE Mr.  Rosco. 

ARUNDEL Mr.  Anderson. 

FALCONBRIDGE Mr.  Ryan. 

HUBERT Mr.  Bridgewater. 

KING  PHILIP  \  /  Mr.  Hale. 

LEWIS  the  Dauphin      I  of  France    .     .     . }  Mr.  Gibber,  Jun. 
MELUN,  a  Nobleman   )  (  Mr.  Cashell. 

PANDULPH,  Legate  from  Pope  Innocent     .     Mr.  Gibber,  Sen. 

ABBOT  1  of  Anglers      .     .  /  Mr.  Gibson. 

GOVERNOR    .  (  Mr.  Carr. 

LADY  CONSTANCE Mrs.  Pritchard. 

BLANCH,  Niece  to  King  John  .     .     .     .     .     Mrs.  Bellamy. 


270  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

and,  in  opposition  to  it,  Shakespeare's  play  was  put 
up  at  Drury  Lane,  with  Garrick  as  King  John, 
Macklin  as  Pandulph,  and  Mrs.  Gibber  (the  great 
Mrs.  Gibber,  wife  of  Theophilus)  as  Constance. 
Gibber's  play  was,  nevertheless,  successful ;  the  profit 
resulting  to  the  author  being,  according  to  Victor, 
four  hundred  pounds,  which  he  wisely  laid  out  in  a 
profitable  annuity  with  Lord  Mountford.  In  this 
play  Gibber  made  his  last  appearance  on  the  stage, 
on  26th  February,  1745,  on  which  day  "  Papal 
Tyranny  "  was  played  for  the  tenth  time.  "  After 
which,"  says  Victor  ("  History,"  ii.  49)  "  he  retired 
to  his  easy  Chair  and  his  Chariot,  to  waste  the  Re 
mains  of  Life  with  a  ch earful,  contented  Mind,  with 
out  the  least  bodily  Complaint,  but  that  of  a  slow, 
unavoidable  Decay." 

His  state  of  mind  was  probably  the  more  "chearful 
and  contented  "  because  of  his  unquestionable  success 
in  his  tilt  with  the  formidable  author  of  "  The  Dunciad ; " 
a  success  none  the  less  certain  at  the  time,  that  the 
enduring  fame  of  Pope  has  caused  Gibber's  triumph 
over  him  to  be  lost  sight  of  now.  The  progress  of 
the  quarrel  between  these  enemies  has  already  been 
related  up  to  the  publication  of  Gibber's  "Apology" 
(see  vol.  i.  p.  36),  and  on  pages  21,35,  and  36  of  the 
first  volume  of  this  edition  will  be  found  Gibber's 
perfectly  good-natured  and  proper  remarks  on  Pope's 
attacks  on  him.  Whether  the  very  fact  that  Gibber 
did  not  show  temper  irritated  his  opponent,  I  do  not 
know ;  but  it  probably  did  so,  for  in  the  fourth  book 


THE   LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  271 

of  "  The   Dunciad,"  published  in   1 742,   Pope   had 
another  fling  at  his  opponent  (line  1 7)  : — 

"  She  mounts  the  throne  :  her  head  a  cloud  conceaPd, 
In  broad  effulgence  all  below  reveal'd ; 
('Tis  thus  aspiring  Dulness  ever  shines  :) 
Soft  on  her  lap  her  laureate  son  reclines." 

And  in  line  532  he  talks  of  "  Cibberian  forehead" 
as  typical  of  unblushing  impudence. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  this  last  attack  exhausted 
Gibber's  patience.  He  had  hitherto  received  his 
punishment  with  good  temper  and  good  humour; 
but  his  powerful  enemy  had  not  therefore  held  his 
hand.  He  now  determined  to  retaliate.  Conscious 
of  the  diseased  susceptibility  of  Pope  to  ridicule,  he 
felt  himself  quite  capable  of  replying,  not  with  equal 
literary  power,  but  with  much  superior  practical  effect. 
Accordingly  in  1742  there  appeared  a  pamphlet 
entitled  "  A  Letter  from  Mr.  Gibber,  to  Mr.  Pope, 
inquiring  into  the  motives  that  might  induce  him  in 
his  Satyrical  Works,  to  be  so  frequently  fond  of  Mr. 
Gibber's  name."  To  it  was  prefixed  the  motto  : 
"  Out  of  thy  own  Mouth  will  I  judge  thee.  Pref.  to 
the  Dunciad." 

Gibber  commences  by  stating  that  he  had  been 
persuaded  to  reply  to  Pope  by  his  friends ;  who 
insisted  that  for  him  to  treat  his  attacker  any  longer 
with  silent  disdain  might  be  thought  a  confession  of 
Dulness  indeed.  This  is  a  highly  probable  state 
ment;  for  an  encounter  between  the  vivacious  Gibber 
and  the  thin-skinned  Pope  promised  a  wealth  of 


272  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

amusement  for  those  who  looked  on — a  promise 
which  was  amply  fulfilled.  Gibber  proceeds  to  assure 
Pope  that,  having  entered  the  lists,  he  will  not  in 
future  avoid  the  fray,  but  reply  to  every  attack  made 
on  him.1  He  confesses  his  vast  inferiority  to  Pope, 
but  adds  :  "  I  own  myself  so  contented  a  Dunce,  that 
I  would  not  have  even  your  merited  Fame  in  Poetry, 
if  it  were  to  be  attended  with  half  the  fretful  Solici 
tude  you  seem  to  have  lain  under  to  maintain  it ;  of 
which  the  laborious  Rout  you  make  about  it,  in  those 
Loads  of  Prose  Rubbish,  wherewith  you  have  almost 
smother'd  your  Dunciady  is  so  sore  a  Proof."  On 
page  1 7  of  his  "  Letter  "  Gibber  gives  an  interesting 
account  of  a  quarrel  between  Pope  and  himself,  to 
which  he,  with  sufficient  probability,  attributes  much 
of  Pope's  enmity.  The  passage  is  curious  and  im 
portant,  so  I  quote  it  in  full : — 

"  The  Play  of  the  Rehearsal,  which  had  lain  some 
few  Years  dormant,  being  by  his  present  Majesty 
(then  Prince  of  Wales]  commanded  to  be  revived, 
the  Part  of  Bays  fell  to  my  share.  To  this  Charac 
ter  there  had  always  been  allow' d  such  ludicrous 
Liberties  of  Observation,  upon  any  thing  new,  or 

1  "  On  GIBBER'S  Declaration  that  he  will  have  the  last  Word 
with  Mr.  POPE. 

QUOTH  Gibber  to  Pope,  tho'  in  Verse  you  foreclose, 
I'll  have  the  last  Word,  for  by  G— d  I'll  write  Prose. 
Poor  Colley,  thy  reas'ning  is  none  of  the  strongest, 
For  know,  the  last  Word  is  the  Word  that  lasts  longest." 
"The  Summer  Miscellany,"  1742. 


ALEXANDER         POPE 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  273 

remarkable,  in  the  state  of  the  Stage,  as  Mr.  Bays 
might  think  proper  to  take.  Much  about  this  time, 
then,  The  Three  Hours  after  Marriage  had  been 
acted  without  Success ; 1  when  Mr.  Bays,  as  usual, 
had  a  fling  at  it,  which,  in  itself,  was  no  Jest,  unless 
the  Audience  would  please  to  make  it  one  :  But 
however,  flat  as  it  was,  Mr.  Pope  was  mortally  sore 
upon  it.  This  was  the  Offence.  In  this  Play,  two 
Coxcombs,  being  in  love  with  a  learned  Virtuoso's 
Wife,  to  get  unsuspected  Access  to  her,  ingeniously 
send  themselves,  as  two  presented  Rarities,  to  the 
Husband,  the  one  curiously  swath'd  up  like  an  Egyp 
tian  Mummy,  and  the  other  slily  cover'd  in  the  Paste 
board  Skin  of  a  Crocodile  :  upon  which  poetical 
Expedient,  I,  Mr.  Baysy  when  the  two  Kings  of 
Brentford  came  from  the  Clouds  into  the  Throne 
again,  instead  of  what  my  Part  directed  me  to  say, 
made  use  of  these  Words,  viz.  '  Now,  Sir,  this  Revo 
lution,  I  had  some  Thoughts  of  introducing,  by  a  quite 
different  Contrivance ;  but  my  Design  taking  air,  some 
of  your  sharp  Wits,  I  found,  had  made  use  of  it  before 
me  ;  otherwise  I  intended  to  have  stolen  one  of  them 
in,  in  the  Shape  of  a  Mummy,  and  t'other,  in  that  of 
a  Crocodile!  Upon  which,  I  doubt,  the  Audience  by 
the  Roar  of  their  Applause  shew'd  their  proportion 
able  Contempt  of  the  Play  they  belong'd  to.  But 
why  am  I  answerable  for  that  ?  I  did  not  lead  them, 

1  This  play  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  i6th  January,  1717; 
and  the  performance  of  "The  Rehearsal"  referred  to  took  place 
on  the  7th  February. 

II.  S 


274  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

by  any  Reflection  of  my  own,  into  that  Contempt : 
Surely  to  have  used  the  bare  Word  Mummy,  and 
Crocodile,  was  neither  unjust,  or  unmannerly  ;  Where 
then  was  the  Crime  of  simply  saying  there  had  been 
two  such  things  in  a  former  Play  ?  But  this,  it  seems, 
was  so  heinously  taken  by  Mr.  Pope,  that,  in  the 
swelling  of  his  Heart,  after  the  Play  was  over,  he 
came  behind  the  Scenes,  with  his  Lips  pale  and  his 
Voice  trembling,  to  call  me  to  account  for  the  Insult : 
And  accordingly  fell  upon  me  with  all  the  foul  Lan 
guage,  that  a  Wit  out  of  his  Senses  could  be  capable 

of How  durst  I  have  the  Impudence  to  treat  any 

Gentleman  in  that  manner  ?  &c.  &c.  &c.  Now  let 
the  Reader  judge  by  this  Concern,  who  was  the  true 
Mother  of  the  Child  !  When  he  was  almost  choked 
with  the  foam  of  his  Passion,  I  was  enough  recovered 
from  my  Amazement  to  make  him  (as  near  as  I  can 
remember)  this  Reply,  viz.  '  Mr.  Pope—  -You  are 
so  particular  a  Man,  that  I  must  be  asham'd  to  return 
your  Language  as  I  ought  to  do  :  but  since  you  have 
attacked  me  in  so  monstrous  a  Manner  ;  This  you 
may  depend  upon,  that  so  long  as  the  Play  continues 
to  be  acted,  I  will  never  fail  to  repeat  the  same 
Words  over  and  over  again.'  Now,  as  he  accord 
ingly  found  I  kept  my  Word,  for  several  Days  fol 
lowing,  I  am  afraid  he  has  since  thought,  that  his 
Pen  was  a  sharper  Weapon  than  his  Tongue  to  trust 
his  Revenge  with.  And  however  just  Cause  this 
may  be  for  his  so  doing,  it  is,  at  least,  the  only  Cause 
my  Conscience  can  charge  me  with.  Now,  as  I  might 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  275 

have  concealed  this  Fact  if  my  Conscience  would 
have  suffered  me,  may  we  not  suppose,  Mr.  Pope 
would  certainly  have  mention'd  it  in  his  Dunciad> 
had  he  thought  it  could  have  been  of  service  to  him  ?" 

Gibber  afterwards  proceeds  to  criticise  and  reply 
to  allusions  to  himself  in  Pope's  works,  some  of 
which  are  in  conspicuously  bad  taste.  Gibber,  of 
course,  does  not  miss  the  obvious  point  that  to  attack 
his  successful  plays  was  a  foolish  proceeding  on 
Pope's  part,  whose  own  endeavours  as  a  dramatist 
had  been  completely  unsuccessful,  and  who  thus  laid 
himself  open  to  the  charge  of  envy.  Nor  is  this 
accusation  so  ridiculous  as  it  may  seem  to  readers  of 
to-day,  for  a  successful  playwright  was  a  notable 
public  figure,  and  the  delicious  applause  of  the 
crowded  theatre  was  eagerly  sought  by  even  the 
most  eminent  men.  And  again,  it  must  be  remem 
bered  that  Pope's  fame  was  not  then  the  perfectly 
assured  matter  that  it  is  now. 

But  Gibber's  great  point,  which  made  his  oppo 
nent  writhe  with  fury,  was  a  little  anecdote — Dr. 
Johnson  terms  it  "  an  idle  story  of  Pope's  behaviour 
at  a  tavern" — which  raised  a  universal  shout  of 
merriment  at  Pope's  expense.  The  excuse  for  its 
introduction  was  found  in  these  lines  from  the 
"Epistle  to  Dr.  Arbuthnot":— 

"Whom  have  I  hurt?  has  poet  yet  or  peer 
Lost  the  arch'd  eyebrow  or  Parnassian  sneer  ? 
And  has  not  Colley  still  his  lord  and  whore  ? 
His  butchers  Henley?  his  freemasons  Moore?" 


276  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER   TO 

Gibber's  anecdote  cannot  be  defended  on  the 
ground  of  decency,  but  it  is  extremely  ludicrous,  and 
in  the  state  of  society  then  existing  it  must  have 
been  a  knock-down  blow  to  the  unhappy  subject  of 
it.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  this 
pamphlet  which  Pope  received  on  the  occasion  when 
the  Richardsons  visited  him,  as  related  by  Johnson 
in  his  Life  of  the  poet :  "  I  have  heard  Mr.  Richard 
son  relate  that  he  attended  his  father  the  painter  on 
a  visit,  when  one  of  Gibber's  pamphlets  came  into  the 
hands  of  Pope,  who  said,  '  These  things  are  my 
diversion.'  They  sat  by  him  while  he  perused  it, 
and  saw  his  features  writhing  with  anguish  :  and 
young  Richardson  said  to  his  father,  when  they 
returned,  that  he  hoped  to  be  preserved  from  such 
diversion  as  had  been  that  day  the  lot  of  Pope." 
How  deeply  Pope  was  galled  by  Gibber's  ludicrous 
picture  of  him  is  manifested  by  the  extraordinary 
revenge  he  took.  And  even  now  we  can  realize  the 
bitterness  of  the  provocation  when  we  read  the  mali 
ciously  comic  story  of  the  vivacious  Colley  : — 

"  As  to  the  first  Part  of  the  Charge,  the  Lord\ 
Why — we  have  both  had  him,  and  sometimes  the 
same  Lord ;  but  as  there  is  neither  Vice  nor  Folly  in 
keeping  our  Betters  Company ;  the  Wit  or  Satyr  of 
the  Verse !  can  only  point  at  my  Lord  for  keeping 
such  ordinary  Company.  Well,  but  if  so !  then  why 
so,  good  Mr.  Pope?  If  either  of  us  could  be  good. 
Company,  our  being  professed  Poets,  I  hope  would 
be  no  Objection  to  my  Lord's  sometimes  making 


THE   LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  277 

one  with  us  ?  and  though  I  don't  pretend  to  write 
like  you,  yet  all  the  Requisites  to  make  a  good  Com 
panion  are  not  confined  to  Poetry  !  No,  Sir,  even  a 
Man's  inoffensive  Follies  and  Blunders  may  some 
times  have  their  Merits  at  the  best  Table ;  and  in 
those,  I  am  sure,  you  won't  pretend  to  vie  with  me  : 
Why  then  may  not  my  Lord  be  as  much  in  the  Right, 
in  his  sometimes  choosing  Colley  to  laugh  at,  as  at 
other  times  in  his  picking  up  Sawney,  whom  he  can 
only  admire  ? 

"  Thus  far,  then,  I  hope  we  are  upon  a  par ;  for 
the  Lord,  you  see,  will  fit  either  of  us. 

"  As  to  the  latter  Charge,  the  Whore,  there  indeed, 
I  doubt  you  will  have  the  better  of  me ;  for  I  must  own, 
that  I  believe  I  know  more  vtyour  whoring  than  you 
do  of  mine ;  because  I  don't  recollect  that  ever  I  made 
you  the  least  Confidence  of  my  Amours,  though  I 

have  been  very  near  an  Eye-Witness  of  Yours 

By  the  way,  gentle  Reader,  don't  you  think,  to  say 
only,  a  Man  has  his  Whore,  without  some  particular 
Circumstances  to  aggravate  the  Vice,  is  the  flattest 
Piece  of  Satyr  that  ever  fell  from  the  formidable  Pen 
of  Mr.  Pope  ?  because  (defendit  numerus)  take  the 
first  ten  thousand  Men  you  meet,  and  I  believe,  you 
would  be  no  Loser,  if  you  betted  ten  to  one  that 
every  single  Sinner  of  them,  one  with  another,  had 
been  guilty  of  the  same  Frailty.  But  as  Mr.  Pope 
has  so  particularly  picked  me  out  of  the  Number  to 
make  an  Example  of:  Why  may  I  not  take  the 
same  Liberty,  and  even  single  him  out  for  another 


278  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER   TO 

to  keep  me  in  Countenance  ?  He  must  excuse  me, 
then,  if  in  what  I  am  going  to  relate,  I  am  reduced 
to  make  bold  with  a  little  private  Conversation  :  But 
as  he  has  shewn  no  Mercy  to  Colley,  why  should  so 
unprovok'd  an  Aggressor  expect  any  for  himself? 
And  if  Truth  hurts  him,  I  can't  help  it.  He  may 
remember,  then  (or  if  he  won't  I  will)  when  Buttons 
Coffee-house  was  in  vogue,  and  so  long  ago,  as  when 
he  had  not  translated  above  two  or  three  Books  of 
Homer ;  there  was  a  late  young  Nobleman  (as  much 
his  Lord  as  mine)  who  had  a  good  deal  of  wicked 
Humour,  and  who,  though  he  was  fond  of  having 
Wits  in  his  Company,  was  not  so  restrained  by  his 
Conscience,  but  that  he  lov'd  to  laugh  at  any  merry 
Mischief  he  could  do  them  :  This  noble  Wag,  I  say, 
in  his  usual  Gayete  de  Cceury  with  another  Gentle 
man  still  in  Being,1  one  Evening  slily  seduced  the 
celebrated  Mr.  Pope  as  a  Wit,  and  myself  as  a 
Laugher,  to  a  certain  House  of  Carnal  Recreation, 
near  the  Hay-Market ;  where  his  Lordship's  Frolick 
propos'd  was  to  slip  his  little  Homer,  as  he  call'd 
him,  at  a  Girl  of  the  Game,  that  he  might  see  what 
sort  of  Figure  a  Man  of  his  Size,  Sobriety,  and 
Vigour  (in  Verse)  would  make,  when  the  frail  Fit  of 
Love  had  got  into  him  ;  in  which  he  so  far  succeeded, 
that  the  smirking  Damsel,  who  serv'd  us  with  Tea, 
happen'd  to  have  Charms  sufficient  to  tempt  the 

1  The  Earl  of  Warwick  was  the  young  nobleman,  and  it  is  said  in 
Dillworth's  "  Life  of  Pope"  that  "  the  late  Commissioner  Vaughan" 
was  the  other  gentleman. 


THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  279 

little-tiny  Manhood  of  Mr.  Pope  into  the  next  Room 
with  her :  at  which  you  may  imagine,  his  Lordship 
was  in  as  much  Joy,  at  what  might  happen  within,  as 
our  small  Friend  could  probably  be  in  Possession  of 
it :  But  I  (forgive  me  all  ye  mortified  Mortals  whom 
his  fell  Satyr  has  since  fallen  upon)  observing  he  had 
staid  as  long  as  without  hazard  of  his  Health  he 
might,  I, 

Priced  to  it  by  foolish  Honesty  and  Love, 

As  Shakespear  says,  without  Ceremony,  threw  open 
the  Door  upon  him,  where  I  found  this  little  hasty 
Hero,  like  a  terrible  Tom  Tit,  pertly  perching  upon 
the  Mount  of  Love !  But  such  was  my  Surprize, 
that  I  fairly  laid  hold  of  his  Heels,  and  actually  drew 
him  down  safe  and  sound  from  his  Danger.  My 
Lord,  who  staid  tittering  without,  in  hopes  the  sweet 
Mischief  he  came  for  would  have  been  compleated, 
upon  my  giving  an  Account  of  the  Action  within, 
began  to  curse,  and  call  me  an  hundred  silly  Puppies, 
for  my  impertinently  spoiling  the  Sport ;  to  which 
with  great  Gravity  I  reply'd  ;  pray,  my  Lord,  consider 
what  I  have  done  was,  in  regard  to  the  Honour  of  our 
Nation  !  For  would  you  have  had  so  glorious  a 
Work  as  that  of  making  Homer  speak  elegant 
English,  cut  short  by  laying  up  our  little  Gentleman 
of  a  Malady,  which  his  thin  Body  might  never  have 
been  cured  of?  No,  my  Lord!  Homer  would  have 
been  too  serious  a  Sacrifice  to  our  Evening  Merri 
ment.  Now  as  his  Homer  has  since  been  so  happily 


280  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER    TO 

compleated,  who  can  say,  that  the  World  may  not 
have  been  obliged  to  the  kindly  Care  of  Colley  that 
so  great  a  Work  ever  came  to  Perfection  ? 

"  And  now  again,  gentle  Reader,  let  it  be  judged, 
whether  the  Lord  and  the  Whore  above-mentioned 
might  not,  with  equal  Justice,  have  been  apply'd  to 
sober  Sawney  the  Satyrist,  as  to  Colley  the  Criminal  ? 

"  Though  I  confess  Recrimination  to  be  but  a  poor 
Defence  for  one's  own  Faults ;  yet  when  the  Guilty 
are  Accusers,  it  seems  but  just,  to  make  use  of  any 
Truth,  that  may  invalidate  their  Evidence  :  I  there 
fore  hope,  whatever  the  serious  Reader  may  think 
amiss  in  this  Story,  will  be  excused,  by  my  being  so 
hardly  driven  to  tell  it." 

In  the  remainder  of  Cibber's  pamphlet  there  is  not 
much  that  is  of  any  importance,  though  an  allusion 
to  one  of  Pope's  victims  having  hung  up  a  birch  in 
Button's  Coffee  House,  wherewith  to  chastise  his 
satirist,  was  skilfully  calculated  to  rouse  Pope's  tem 
per.  Cibber  thoroughly  succeeded  in  this  object,1 
perhaps  to  a  degree  that  he  rather  regretted.  Pope 
made  no  direct  reply  to  his  banter,  but  in  the  follow 
ing  year  (1743)  a  new  edition  of  "The  Dunciad" 
appeared,  in  which  Theobald  was  deposed  from  the 
throne  of  Dulness,  and  Cibber  elevated  in  his  place. 

1  "  But  Pope's  irascibility  prevailed,  and  he  resolved  to  tell  the 
whole  English  world  that  he  was  at  war  with  Cibber;  and,  to 
show  that  he  thought  him  no  common  adversary,  he  prepared  no 
common  vengeance  j  he  published  a  new  edition  of  the  *  Dunciad,' 
in  which  he  degraded  Theobald  from  his  painful  pre-eminence, 
and  enthroned  Cibber  in  his  stead." — Johnson's  "  Life  of  Pope." 


THE    LIFE   OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  281 

By  doing  this  Pope  gratified  his  vengeance,  but 
injured  his  poem,  for  the  carefully  painted  peculiarities 
of  Theobald,  a  slow  and  pedantic  scholar,  sat  ill  on 
the  pert  and  vivacious  Colley.1  To  this  retaliation 
Gibber,  as  he  had  promised,2  replied  with  another 
pamphlet,  entitled  "  Another  Occasional  Letter  from 
Mr.  Gibber  to  Mr.  Pope.  Wherein  the  New  Hero's 
Preferment  to  his  Throne,  in  the  Dunciad,  seems 
not  to  be  Accepted.  And  the  Author  of  that  Poem 
His  more  rightful  Claim  to  it,  is  Asserted.  With 
An  Expostulatory  Address  to  the  Reverend  Mr. 
W.  W n,  Author  of  the  new  Preface,  and  Ad 
viser  in  the  curious  Improvements  of  that  Satire." 
The  motto  on  the  title-page  was : — 
" Remember  Sauney's  Fate! 


Bang d  by  the  Blockhead^  whom  he  strove  to  beat. 

Parodie  on  Lord  Roscommon" 

There  is  little  that  is  of  any  note  in  this  production, 
which  is  characterized  by  the  same  real  or  aifected 
good-nature  as  marked  the  former  pamphlet.  The 
most  interesting  passages  to  us  are  those  alluding  to 
the  effect  of  Gibber's  previous  attack,  and  exulting 
over  Pope's  distress  at  it.  For  instance  (on  page 

7)=- 

"And  now,  Sir,  give  me  leave  to  be  a  little  sur- 

1  "  Unhappily  the  two  heroes  were  of  opposite  characters,  and 
Pope  was  unwilling  to  lose  what  he  had  already  written ;  he  has 
therefore  depraved  his  poem  by  giving  to  Gibber  the  old  books, 
the  old  pedantry,  and  the  sluggish  pertinacity  of  Theobald." — 
Johnson's  "  Life  of  Pope/1 

2  See  ante,  p.  272. 


282  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER    TO 

priz'd  at  the  impenetrable  Skull  of  your  Courage, 
that  (after  I  had  in  my  first  Letter)  so  heartily  teiz'd, 
and  toss'd,  and  tumbled  you  through  all  the  Mire, 
and  Dirt,  the  madness  of  your  Muse  had  been 
throwing  at  other  People,  it  could  still,  so  Vixen  like, 
sprawl  out  the  same  feeble  Paw  of  its  Satyr,  to  have 
t'other  Scratch  at  my  Nose :  But  as  I  know  the 
Vulgar  (with  whose  Applause  I  humbly  content  my 
self)  are  apt  to  laugh  when  they  see  a  curst  Cat  in  a 
Kennel ;  so  whenever  I  observe  your  Grimalkin 
Spirit  shew  but  the  least  grinning  Gasp  of  Life,  I 
shall  take  the  honest  liberty  of  old  Towser  the 
House-dog,  and  merrily  lift  up  my  Leg  to  have  a 
little  more  Game  with  you. 

"Well  Sir,  in  plainer  Terms,  I  am  now,  you  see, 
once  more  willing  to  bring  Matters  to  an  Issue,  or 
(as  the  Boxers  say)  to  answer  your  Challenge,  and 
come  to  a  Trial  of  Manhood  with  you ;  though  by 
our  slow  Proceedings,  we  seem  rather  to  be  at  Law, 
than  at  Loggerheads  with  one  another ;  and  if  you 
had  not  been  a  blinder  Booby,  than  my  self,  you 
would  have  sate  down  quietly,  with  the  last  black 
Eye  I  gave  you  :  For  so  loath  was  I  to  squabble 
with  you,  that  though  you  had  been  snapping,  and 
snarling  at  me  for  twenty  Years  together,  you  saw, 
I  never  so  much  as  gave  you  a  single  Growl,  or  took 
any  notice  of  you.  At  last,  'tis  true,  in  meer  Sport 
for  others,  rather  than  from  the  least  Tincture  of 
Concern  for  my  self,  I  was  inticed  to  be  a  little  wanton, 
not  to  say  waggish,  with  your  Character  ;  by  which 


THE   LIFE  OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  283 

having  (you  know)  got  the  strong  Laugh  on  my 
Side,  I  doubt  I  have  so  offended  the  Gravity,  and 
Greatness  of  your  Soul,  that  to  secure  your  more 
ample  Revenge,  you  have  prudently  taken  the  full 
Term  of  thirteen  Months  Consideration,  before  you 
would  pour  it,  upon  me !  But  at  last,  it  seems,  we 
have  it,  and  now  Souse !  out  comes  your  old  Dunciad, 
in  a  new  Dress,  like  fresh  Gold,  upon  stale  Ginger 
bread,  sold  out  in  Penny-worth's  of  shining  King 
Colley,  crown'd  the  Hero  of  Immortal  Stupidity!" 

And  again  (on  page  15)  :  "  At  your  Peril  be  it, 
little  Gentleman,  for  I  shall  have  t'other  Frisk  with 
you,  and  don't  despair  that  the  very  Notice  I  am 
now  taking  of  you,  will  once  more  make  your  Fame 
fly,  like  a  yelping  Cur  with  a  Bottle  at  his  Tail,  the 
Jest  and  Joy  of  every  Bookseller's  Prentice  between 
Wapping  and  Westminster ! " 

To  this  pamphlet  Pope,  whose  infirmities  were 
very  great,  made  no  reply,  and  Cibber  had,  as  he 
had  vowed,  the  last  word.  Round  the  central 
articles  of  this  quarrel  a  crowd  of  supplementary 
productions  had  gathered,  a  list  of  which  will  be 
found  in  the  Bibliography  of  Cibber  a  few  pages 
on. 

Cibber's  position  of  Poet  Laureate  furnished  him 
with  a  steady  income  during  his  declining  years,  and 
his  Odes  were  turned  out  as  required,  with  mechanical 
precision  and  most  unpoetic  spirit.  They  were  the 
standing  joke  of  the  pamphleteers  and  news-sheet 
writers,  and  were  always  accompanied  with  a  running 


284  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

fire  of  banter  and  parody.  Those  curious  in  the 
matter  will  find  excellent  specimens,  both  of  the 
Odes  and  the  burlesques,  in  the  early  volumes  of 
the  "Gentleman's  Magazine." 

After  the  termination  of  his  quarrel  with  Pope, 
Gibber's  life  was  very  uneventful ;  and,  although  it 
extended  far  beyond  the  allotted  span,  he  continued 
to  enjoy  it  to  the  very  end.  Horace  Walpole  greeted 
him  one  day,  saying,  "  I  am  glad,  Sir,  to  see  you 
looking  so  well."  "  Egad,  Sir,"  replied  the  old  man, 
"  at  eighty-four  it  is  well  for  a  man  that  he  can  look 
at  all."  On  nth  December,  1757,  he  died,  having 
attained  the  great  age  of  eighty-six.1  Dr.  Doran 
("Their  Majesties'  Servants,"  1888  edition,  ii.  235) 
says :  "  I  read  in  contemporary  publications  that 
there  *  died  at  his  house  in  Berkeley  Square,  Colley 
Gibber,  Esq.,  Poet  Laureate;'"  and  although  it  has 
been  stated  that  he  died  at  Islington,  I  see  no  reason 
to  doubt  Dr.  Doran's  explicit  statement.  Gibber 
was  buried  in  the  Danish  Church,  Wellclose  Square.2 

1  It    has  been    generally  stated   that   Gibber   died   on    i2th 
December,    1757,   but    "The   Public   Advertiser"   of   Monday, 
1 2th  December,  announces  his  death  as  having  occurred  "Yes 
terday    morning."       The    "  Gentleman's    Magazine "    and    the 
"London   Magazine,"  in  their  issues  for  December,  1757,  give 
the  nth  as  the  date. 

2  Mr.  Laurence  Hutton,  in  his  "  Literary  Landmarks  of  Lon 
don  "  (p.  54),  gives  the  following  interesting  particulars  regarding 
Gibber's  last  resting-place :   "  Gibber  was  buried  by  the  side  of 
his   father  and  mother,  in  a  vault  under  the  Danish  Church, 
situated   in  Wellclose  Square,  Ratcliif  Highway   (since   named 
St.  George  Street).     This  church,  according  to  an  inscription 


THE   LIFE   OF   MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  285 

So  far  as  we  know,  only  two  of  Gibber's  children 
survived  him,  his  ne'er-do-well  son  Theophilus,  and 
his  equally  scapegrace  daughter  Charlotte,  who 
married  Charke  the  musician.  The  former  was  born 
in  1703,  and  was  drowned  in  the  winter  of  1758, 
while  crossing  to  Ireland  to  fulfil  an  engagement  in 
Dublin.  As  an  actor  he  was  chiefly  famous  for 
playing  Ancient  Pistol,  but  he  was  also  excellent  in 
some  of  his  father's  characters,  such  as  Lord  Fop- 
pington,  Bayes,  and  Sir  Francis  Wronghead.  His 
private  life  was  in  the  last  degree  disreputable,  and 
especially  so  in  his  relations  with  his  second  wife, 
Susanna  Maria  Arne — the  great  Mrs.  Gibber.  The 
literature  regarding  Theophilus  Gibber  is  consider 
able  in  quantity  and  curious  in  quality.  Some 
account  of  it  will  be  found  in  my  "  Bibliographical 
Account  of  English  Theatrical  Literature,"  pp.  52-55. 

placed  over  the  doorway,  was  built  in  1696  by  Caius  Gabriel 
Gibber  himself,  by  order  of  the  King  of  Denmark,  for  the  use  of 
such  of  his  Majesty's  subjects  as  might  visit  the  port  of  London. 
The  church  was  taken  down  some  years  ago  (1868-70),  and  St. 
Paul's  Schools  were  erected  on  its  foundation,  which  was  left 
intact.  Rev.  Dan.  Greatorex,  Vicar  of  the  Parish  of  St.  Paul, 
Dock  Street,  in  a  private  note  written  in  the  summer  of  1883, 
says : — 

"  '  Colley  Gibber  and  his  father  and  mother  were  buried  in  the 
vault  of  the  old  Danish  Church.  When  the  church  was  removed, 
the  coffins  were  all  removed  carefully  into  the  crypt  under  the 
apse,  and  then  bricked  up.  So  the  bodies  are  still  there.  The 
Danish  Consul  was  with  me  when  I  moved  the  bodies.  The 
coffins  had  perished  except  the  bottoms.  I  carefully  removed 
them  myself  personally,  and  laid  them  side  by  side  at  the  back  of 
the  crypt,  and  covered  them  with  earth.' " 


286  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER   TO 

Charlotte  Charke,  who  was  born  about  1710,  and 
died  in  April,  1760,  was  of  no  note  as  an  actress. 
Her  private  life,  however,  was  madly  eccentric,  and 
her  autobiography,  published  in  1755,  is  a  curious 
and  scarce  work. 

Gibber's  principal  plays  have  been  noted  in  the 
course  of  his  "Apology;"  but,  for  the  sake  of  con 
venience,  I  give  here  a  complete  list  of  his  regular 
dramatic  productions  : — 

Love's  Last  Shift — Comedy — Produced  at  Drury 
Lane,  1696. 

Woman's  Wit — Comedy — Drury  Lane,  1697. 

Xerxes — Tragedy — Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  1699. 

Richard  III. — Tragedy  (alteration  of  Shake 
speare's  play) — Drury  Lane,  1 700. 

Love  Makes  a  Man — Comedy — Drury  Lane,  1701. 

The  School  Boy — Comedy — Drury  Lane,  26th 
October,  1702. 

She  Would  and  She  Would  Not — Comedy — Drury 
Lane,  26th  November,  1702. 

The  Careless  Husband — Comedy — Drury  Lane, 
7th  December,  1704. 

Perolla  and  Izadora — Tragedy  —  Drury  Lane, 
3rd  December,  1705. 

The  Comical  Lovers  —  Comedy  —  Haymarket, 
4th  February,  1707. 

The  Double  Gallant — Comedy — Haymarket,  ist 
November,  1707. 

The  Lady's  Last  Stake — Comedy — Haymarket, 
1 3th  December,  1707. 


THE  LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  287 

The  Rival  Fools— Comedy — Drury  Lane,  nth 
January,  1709. 

The  Rival  Queans  —  Comical-Tragedy  -  -  Hay- 
market,  2 Qth  June,  1710. 

Ximena — Tragedy — Drury  Lane,  28th  November, 
1712. 

Venus  and  Adonis — Masque— Drury  Lane,  1715. 

Bulls  and  Bears — Farce — Drury  Lane,  ist  De 
cember,  1715. 

Myrtillo — Pastoral  Interlude — Drury  Lane,  1716. 

The  Nonjuror — Comedy — Drury  Lane,  6th  De 
cember,  1717. 

The  Refusal — Comedy — Drury  Lane,  i4th  Feb 
ruary,  1721. 

Caesar  in  Egypt — Tragedy — Drury  Lane,  9th 
December,  1724. 

The  Provoked  Husband — Comedy  (in  conjunction 
with  Vanbrugh) — Drury  Lane,  loth  January,  1728. 

Love  in  a  Riddle — Pastoral — Drury  Lane,  7th 
January,  1729. 

Damon  and  Phillida  —  Pastoral  Farce  —  Hay- 
market,  1729. 

Papal  Tyranny  in  the  Reign  of  King  John — 
Tragedy  (alteration  of  Shakespeare's  "  King  John") 
— Covent  Garden,  I5th  February,  1745. 

Of  these,  his  alteration  of  "  Richard  III."  had  prac 
tically  undisputed  possession  of  the  stage,  until  the 
taste  and  judgment  of  Mr.  Henry  Irving  gave  us 
back  the  original  play.1  But  in  the  provinces,  when 
1  Shakespeare's  "  Richard  III."  was  produced  at  the  Lyceum 


288  SUPPLEMENTARY   CHAPTER  TO 

stars  of  the  old  school  play  a  round  of  legitimate 
parts,  the  adulterated  version  still  reigns  triumphant, 
and  the  great  effect  of  the  night  is  got  in  Gibber's 
famous  line : — 

"  Off  with  his  head  !    So  much  for  Buckingham  ! " 

In  "The  Hypocrite,"  a  comedy  still  played  at 
intervals,  Gibber's  "  Nonjuror  "  survives.  Bicker- 
staffe,  who  was  the  author  of  the  alteration,  retained 
a  very  large  portion  of  the  original  play,  his  chief 
change  being  the  addition  of  the  inimitable  Maw- 
worm. 

That  another  of  Gibber's  plays  survives  is  owing 
to  the  taste  of  an  American  manager  and  to  the 

Theatre  on  2Qth  January,  1877.     It  was  announced  as  "strictly 

the  original  text,  without  interpolations,  but  simply  with  such 
omissions  and  transpositions  as  have  been  found  essential  for 
dramatic  representation."  In  Richard  Mr.  Irving's  great  powers 
are  seen  to  special  advantage. 

The  cast  of  Gibber's  play  in  1700  was — 

KING  HENRY  VI.,  designed  for  .     .     .  Mr.  Wilks. 

EDWARD,  PRINCE  OF  WALES      .     .     .  Mrs.  Allison. 

RICHARD,  DUKE  OF  YORK    ....  Miss  Chock. 

RICHARD,  DUKE  OF  GLOUCESTER   .     .  Mr.  Gibber. 

DUKE  OF  BUCKINGHAM Mr.  Powel. 

LORD  STANLEY Mr.  Mills. 

DUKE  OF  NORFOLK Mr.  Simpson. 

RATCLIFF Mr.  Kent. 

CATESBY Mr.  Thomas. 

HENRY,  EARL  OF  RICHMOND     .     .     .  Mr.  Evans. 

OXFORD Mr.  Fairbank. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH Mrs.  Knight. 

LADY  ANN Mrs.  Rogers. 

CICELY  .  .  Mrs.  Powel. 


SUSANNA     MARIA     GIBBER      AS     CORDELIA 


THE    LIFE   OF   MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  289 

genius  of  an  American  company  of  comedians.  Mr. 
Augustin  Daly's  company  includes  among  its  reper 
tory  Gibber's  comedy  of  "  She  Would  and  She  Would 
Not,"  and  has  shown  in  London  as  well  as  in  New 
York  how  admirable  a  comedy  it  is.  It  goes  without 
saying  to  those  who  have  seen  this  company,  that 
much  of  the  success  was  due  to  Miss  Ada  Rehan,  who 
showed  in  Hypolita,  as  she  has  done  in  Katharine 
(" Taming  of  the  Shrew"),  that  she  is  mistress  of 
classical  comedy  as  of  modern  touch-and-go  farce.1 

Gibber  was  the  cause  of  quite  a  considerable  litera 
ture,  mostly  abusive.  The  following  list,  taken  from 
my  "  Bibliographical  Account  of  English  Theatrical 
Literature  "  (1888),  is,  I  believe,  a  complete  catalogue 
of  all  separate  publications  by,  or  relating  to,  Colley 
Gibber : — 

A  clue  to  the  comedy  of  the  N on- Juror.  With 
some  hints  of  consequence  relating  to  that  play.  In 
a  letter  to  N.  Rowe,  Esq ;  Poet  Laureat  to  His 
Majesty.  London  (Curll) :  1718.  8vo.  6d. 

Gibber's  "  Non-Juror,"  produced  at  Drury-Lane,  December  6, 
1717,  was  written  in  favour  of  the  Hanoverian  succession.  Rowe 
wrote  the  prologue,  which  was  very  abusive  of  Nonjurors.  This 
tract  is  not  an  attack  on  the  play,  but  a  satire  on,  it  is  said, 
Bishop  Hoadly. 

A  lash  for  the  Laureat :  or  an  address  by  way  of 
Satyr;  most  humbly  inscrib'd  to  the  unparallel'd 

1  A  beautiful  Portfolio  of  Sketches  of  Mr.  Daly's  Company  has 
been  published,  in  which  is  a  portrait  of  Miss  Rehan  as  Hypolita, 
with  a  critical  note  by  Mr.  Brander  Matthews. 

II.  T 


2  QO  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER   TO 

Mr.  Rowe,  on  occasion  of  a  late  insolent  Prologue 
to  the  Non-Juror.  London  (J.  Morphew):  1718. 
folio.  Title,  i  leaf:  Pref.  i  leaf.  pp.  8.  6d. 

A  furious  attack  on  Rowe  on  account  of  his  Prologue.     A  tract 
of  extreme  rarity. 

A  compleat  key  to  the  Non-Juror.  Explaining 
the  characters  in  that  play,  with  observations  thereon. 
By  Mr.  Joseph  Gay.  The  second  edioion  (sic). 
London  (Curll) :  1718.  8vo.  pp.  24  including  title 
and  half-title. 

3rd  edition :  1718.  Joseph  Gay  is  a  pseudonym.  Pope  is  said  to 
be  the  author  of  the  pamphlet,  which  is  very  unfriendly  to  Gibber. 

The  Theatre- Royal  turn'd  into  a  mountebank's 
stage.  In  some  remarks  upon  Mr.  Gibber's  quack- 
dramatical  performance,  called  the  N on- Juror.  By  a 
Non-Juror.  London  (Morphew) :  1718.  8vo.  Title 
i  leaf.  pp.  38.  6d. 

The  Comedy  call'd  the  N  on- Juror.  Shewing  the 
particular  scenes  wherein  that  hypocrite  is  concern'd. 
With  remarks,  and  a  key,  explaining  the  characters 
of  that  excellent  play.  London  (printed  for  J.  L.) : 
1718.  8vo.  pp.  24,  including  title.  2d. 

Some  cursory  remarks  on  the  play  call'd  the  Non- 
Juror,  written  by  Mr.  Gibber.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend. 
London  (Chetwood)  1718.  8vo. 

Dated  from  Button's  Coffee- House  and  signed  "H.  S."  Very 
laudatory. 

A  journey  to  London.  Being  part  of  a  comedy 
written  by  the  late  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  Knt.  and 


THE    LIFE    OF   MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER.  2QI 

printed  after  his  own  copy  :  which  (since  his  decease) 
has  been  made  an  intire  play,  by  Mr.  Gibber,  and 
call'd  The  provok'd  husband,  &c.  London  (Watts) : 
1728.  8vo.  pp.  51,  including  title. 

"  The  Provok'd  Husband,"  by  Vanbrugh  and  Gibber,  was  pro 
duced  at  Drury  Lane,  January  10,  1728;  and  though  Gibber's 
Nonjuror  enemies  tried  to  condemn  it,  was  very  successful.  This 
tract  shows  how  much  of  the  play  was  written  by  Vanbrugh. 

Reflections  on  the  principal  characters  in  the  Pro 
voked  Husband.  London:  1728.  8vo. 

An  apology  for  the  life  of  Mr.  Colley  Gibber, 
comedian,  and  late  patentee  of  the  Theatre- Royal. 
With  an  historical  view  of  the  stage  during  his  own 
time.  Written  by  himself.  London  (Printed  by 
John  Watts  for  the  author)  :  1740.  4to.  Port. 

Second  edition,  London,  1740,  8vo.,  no  portrait;  third  edition, 
London,  1750,  8vo.,  portrait;  fourth  edition,  1756,  2  vols.  i2mo., 
portrait.  A  good  edition  was  published,  London,  1822,  8vo., 
with  notes  by  E.  Bellchambers  and  a  portrait.  The  "Apology  " 
forms  one  of  Hunt's  series  of  autobiographies,  London,  1826. 
One  of  the  most  famous  and  valuable  of  theatrical  books. 

An  apology  for  the  life  of  Mr.  T C , 

comedian.  Being  a  proper  sequel  to  the  Apology 
for  the  life  of  Mr.  Colley  Gibber,  comedian.  With 
an  historical  view  of  the  stage  to  the  present  year. 
Supposed  to  be  written  by  himself.  In  the  stile  and 
manner  of  the  Poet  Laureat.  London  (Mechell) : 
1740.  8vo.  2s. 

The  object  of  this  pamphlet,  ascribed  to  Fielding,  is  chiefly  to 
ridicule  Colley  Gibber's  "  Apology."  Herman,  225. 


2Q 2  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

A  brief  supplement  to  Colley  Gibber,  Esq ;  his 
lives  of  the  late  famous  Actors  and  Actresses.  Si  tu 
scis,  melior  ego.  By  Anthony,  Vulgo  Tony  Aston. 
Printed  for  the  Author,  N.P.  (London)  :  N.D.  (1747-8). 
8vo.  pp.  24  including  title. 

A  pamphlet  of  extreme  rarity.  Isaac  Reed  purchased  a  copy 
in  1769  ;  and  in  1795  he  notes  on  it  that,  though  he  has  had  it 
twenty-six  years,  he  has  never  seen  another  copy.  Reed's  copy 
was  bought  by  Field  for  653.,  at  whose  sale,  in  1827,  Genest 
bought  it  for  363. 

The  tryal  of  Colley  Gibber,  comedian,  &c.  for 
writing  a  book  intitled  An  apology  for  his  life,  &c. 
Being  a  thorough  examination  thereof;  wherein  he 
is  proved  guilty  of  High  Crimes  and  Misdemeanors 
against  the  English  language,  and  in  characterising 
many  persons  of  distinction.  .  .  .  Together  with  an 
indictment  exhibited  against  Alexander  Pope  of 
Twickenham,  Esq  ;  for  not  exerting  his  talents  at 
this  juncture  :  and  the  arraignment  of  George  Cheyne, 
Physician  at  Bath,  for  the  Philosophical,  Physical, 
and  Theological  heresies,  uttered  in  his  last  book 
on  Regimen.  London  (for  the  author)  :  1 740.  8vo. 
pp.  vii.  40.  is. 

With  motto — "Lo  !  He  hath  written  a  Book  !"  The  Dedica 
tion  is  signed  "  T.  Johnson." 

The  Laureat :  or,  the  right  side  of  Colley  Gibber, 
Esq ;  containing  explanations,  amendments,  and  ob 
servations,  on  a  book  intituled,  An  apology  for  the 
life,  and  writings  of  Mr.  Colley  Gibber.  Not  written 
by  himself.  With  some  anecdotes  of  the  Laureat, 


THE    LIFE   OF  MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  293 

which  he  (thro'  an  excess  of  modesty)  omitted.  To 
which  is  added,  The  history  of  the  life,  manners  and 
writings  of  yEsopus  the  tragedian,  from  a  fragment 
of  a  Greek  manuscript  found  in  the  Library  of  the 
Vatican  ;  interspers'd  with  observations  of  the  trans 
lator.  London  (Roberts)  :  1740.  8vo.  is.  6d. 

A  furious  attack  on  Gibber.  The  Life  of  yEsopus  is  a  burlesque 
Life  of  Gibber.  Daniel.  73.  6d. 

The  history  of  the  stage.  In  which  is  included, 
the  theatrical  characters  of  the  most  celebrated  actors 
who  have  adorn'd  the  theatre.  Among  many  others 
are  the  following,  viz.  Mr.  Betterton,  Mr.  Montfort, 
Mr.  Dogget,  Mr.  Booth,  Mr.  Wilks,  Mr.  Nokes. 
Mrs.  Barry,  Mrs.  Montfort,  Mrs.  Gwin,  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle,  Mrs.  Porter,  Mrs.  Oldfield.  Together  with, 
the  theatrical  life  of  Mr.  Colly  Gibber.  London 
(Miller)  :  1742.  8vo. 

A  "  boil-down"  of  Gibber's  Apology. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Gibber,  to  Mr.  Pope,  inquiring 
into  the  motives  that  might  induce  him  in  his  satyri- 
cal  works,  to  be  so  frequently  fond  of  Mr.  Gibber's 
name.  London  (Lewis)  :  1742.  8vo.  is. 

Second  edition,  London,  1744,  8vo. ;  reprinted,  London,  1777, 
8vo.  The  sting  of  this  pamphlet  lies  in  an  anecdote  told  of  Pope 
at  a  house  of  ill-fame,  in  retaliation  for  his  line  : 

"And  has  not  Colley  still  his  lord  and  whore?" 

A  letter  to  Mr.    C — b — r,  on   his  letter  to   Mr. 

P London  (Roberts) :   1742.    8vo.    26pp.    6d. 

Very  scarce.     Abusive  of  Pope — laudatory  towards  Gibber. 


294  SUPPLEMENTARY    CHAPTER    TO 

Difference  between  verbal  and  practical  virtue. 
With  a  prefatory  epistle  from  Mr.  C . . .  b . . .  r  to 
Mr.  P.  London  (Roberts) :  1742.  Folio.  Title  i 
leaf:  Epistle  i  leaf:  pp.  7. 

Very  rare.     A  rhymed  attack  on  Pope. 

A  blast  upon  Bays  ;  or,  a  new  lick  at  the  Laureat. 
Containing,  remarks  upon  a  late  tatling  performance, 
entitled,  A  letter  from  Mr.  Gibber  to  Mr.  Pope,  &c. 
And  lo  there  appeared  an  old  woman  !  Vide  the 
Letter  throughout.  London  (Robbins)  :  1742.  8vo. 
pp.  26.  6d. 

A  bitter  attack  on  Gibber. 

Sawney  and  Colley,  a  poetical  dialogue:  occasioned 
by  a  late  letter  from  the  Laureat  of  St.  James's,  to 
the  Homer  of  Twickenham.  Something  in  the 
manner  of  Dr.  Swift.  London  (for  J.  H.) :  n.d. 
(1742).  Folio.  Title  i  leaf:  pp.  21.  is. 

Very  scarce.     A  coarse  and  ferocious  attack  on  Pope  in  rhyme. 

The  egotist :  or,  Colley  upon  Cibber.  Being  his 
own  picture  retouch'd,  to  so  plain  a  likeness,  that  no 
one,  now,  would  have  the  face  to  own  it,  but  himself. 
London  (Lewis)  :  1743.  8vo.  pp.  78  including 
title,  is. 

Anonymous,  but  undoubtedly  by  Cibber  himself. 

Another  occasional  letter  from  Mr.  Cibber  to  Mr. 
Pope.  Wherein  the  new  hero's  preferment  to  his 
throne,  in  the  Dunciad,  seems  not  to  be  accepted. 
And  the  author  of  that  poem  his  more  rightful  claim 


THE   LIFE  OF    MR.    COLLEY   GIBBER.  295 

to  it,  is  asserted.     With  an  expostulatory  address  to 

the  Reverend  Mr.  W.  W n,  author  of  the  new 

preface,  and  adviser  in  the  curious  improvements  of 
that  satire.  By  Mr.  Colley  Gibber.  London  (Lewis) : 
1744.  8vo.  is. 

The  Rev.  W.  W n  is  Warburton.     This  tract  was  reprinted, 

Glasgow,  n.  d.,  8vo.  The  two  "  Letters  "  were  reprinted,  London, 
1777,  with,  I  believe,  a  curious  frontispiece  representing  the  ad 
venture  related  by  Gibber  at  Pope's  expense  in  the  first  "  Letter." 

I  am  not  certain  whether  the  frontispiece  was  issued  with  the 
London  or  Glasgow  reprint,  having  seen  it  in  copies  of  both.     In 
Bohn's  "Lowndes"  (1865)  is  mentioned  a  parody  on  this  first 

II  Letter,"  with  the  same  title,  except  that  "  Mrs.  Gibber's  name  " 
is  substituted  for  "Mr.  Gibber's  name."     Lowndes  says  :  "A  copy 
is  described  in  Mr.  Thorpe's  catalogue,  p.  iv,  1832,  'with  the 
frontispiece  of  Pope  surprized  with  Mrs.  Gibber.'"      I  gravely 
doubt  the  existence  of  any  such  work,  and  fancy  that  this  frontis 
piece  is  the  one  just  mentioned,  but  wrongly  described.    Herman 
(two  Letters,  with  scarce  front.),  405. 

A  letter  to  Colley  Gibber,  Esq  ;  on  his  transforma 
tion  of  King  John.  London.  1745.  8vo. 

Gibber's  mangling  of  "  King  John,"  entitled  "  Papal  Tyranny 
in  the  Reign  of  King  John,"  was  produced  at  Covent  Garden, 
February  15,  1745. 

A  new  book  of  the  Dunciad  :  occasion'd  by  Mr. 
Warburton's  new  edition  of  the  Dunciad  complete. 
By  a  gentleman  of  one  of  the  Inns  of  Court.  With 
several  of  Mr.  Warburton's  own  notes,  and  likewise 
Notes  Variorum.  London  (J.  Payne  &  J.  Bouquet) : 
1750.  4to.  is. 

Gibber  dethroned  and  Warburton  elevated  to  the  throne  of 
Dulness. 


296  THE    LIFE    OF    MR.    COLLEY    GIBBER. 

Shakspere's  tragedy  of  Richard  III.,  considered 
dramatically  and  historically ;  and  in  comparison 
with  Gibber's  alteration  as  at  present  in  use  on  the 
stage,  in  a  lecture  delivered  to  the  members  of  the 
Liverpool  Literary,  Scientific  and  Commercial  In 
stitution,  by  Thos.  Stuart,  of  the  Theatre  Royal. 
(Liverpool):  n.  d.  (about  1850).  i2mo. 

Gibber  published  in  1747  a  work  entitled  "The 
Character  and  Conduct  of  Cicero,  considered  from 
the  history  of  his  life  by  Dr.  Middleton  ; "  but  it  is 
of  little  value  or  interest. 


A    BRIEF 

SUPPLEMENT 

TO 

Colley  Gibber,  Efq ; 

HIS 

LIVES 

Of  the  late  FAMOUS 

ACTORS  and  ACTRESSES. 

Si  tu  Jcis,  melior  ego. 


Printed  for  the  AUTHOR. 


MR.  GIBBER  is  guilty  of  Omission, 
that  he  hath  not  given  us  any  De 
scription  of  the  several  Personages 

Beauties,  or  Faults Faults  (I  say]  of  the 

several  ACTORS,  Sac.  for 

Nemo  sine  crimine  vivit. 
Or,  as  the  late  Diike  of  Buckingham  says  of 
Characters,  that,  to  shew  a  Man  not  defective, 

were  to  draw 

A  faultless  Monster,  that  the  World  ne'er  saw. 


w         ^         ^         w 


A  BRIEF  SUPPLEMENT 
To  COLLEY  GIBBER,  ESQ;  HIS 
LIVES 

OF    THE    LATE    FAMOUS 

ACTORS  AND  ACTRESSES. 

MR.  £ET7^XTOM:^ahhough  a  superlative 
good  Actor)  laboiird  under  ill  Figure,  being 
clumsily  made,  having  a  great  Head,  a  short  thick 
Neck,  stoop'd  in  the  Shoulders,  and  had  fat  short 
Arms,  which  he  rarely  lifted  higher  than  his  Stomach. 
— His  Left  Hand  frequently  lodg'd  in  his  Breast, 


3OO  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

between  his  Coat  and  Waist-coat,  while,  with  his 
Right,  he  prepar'd  his  Speech. — His  Actions  were 
few,  but  just. — He  had  little  Eyes,  and  a  broad  Face, 
a  little  Pock-fretten,  a  corpulent  Body,  and  thick 
Legs,  with  large  Feet. — He  was  better  to  meet,  than 
to  follow  ;  for  his  Aspect  was  serious,  venerable,  and 
majestic ;  in  his  latter  Time  a  little  paralytic. — His 
Voice  was  low  and  grumbling ;  yet  he  could  Tune  it 
by  an  artful  Climax,  which  enforc'd  universal  Atten 
tion,  even  from  the  Fops  and  Orange-Girls. — He  was 
incapable  of  dancing,  even  in  a  Country-Dance ;  as 
was  Mrs.  BARRY \  But  their  good  Qualities  were 
more  than  equal  to  their  Deficiencies. — While  Mrs. 
BRACEGIRDLE  sung  very  agreeably  in  the 
LOVES  of  Mars  and  Venus,  and  danced  in  a 
Country- Dance,  as  well  as  Mr.  WILKS,  though  not 
with  so  much  Art  and  Foppery,  but  like  a  well-bred 
Gentlewoman. — Mr.  Betterton  was  the  most  exten 
sive  Actor,  from  Alexander  to  Sir  John  Falstaff-, 
but,  in  that  last  Character,  he  wanted  the  Waggery 
of  ESTCOURT,  the  Drollery  SHARPER,  the 
Sallaciousness  <A  JACK  EVANS.— But,  then,  Est- 
court  was  too  trifling;  Harper  had  too  much  of 
the  Bartholomew-Fair',  and  Evans  misplac'd  his 
Humour. — Thus,  you  see  what  Flaws  are  in  bright 
Diamonds: — And  I  have  often  wish'd  that  Mr. 
Betterton  would  have  resign'dthe  Part  of  HAMLET 
to  some  young  Actor,  (who  might  have  Personated, 
though  not  have  Acted,  it  better)  for,  when  he  threw 
himself  at  Ophelias  Feet,  he  appear  d  a  little  too 


COLLEY   GIBBERS   LIVES.  3OI 

grave  for  a  young  Student,  lately  come  from  the 
University  of  Wiriemberg\  and  his  Repartees  seem'd 
rather  as  Apopthegms  from  a  sage  Philosopher,  than 
the  sporting  Flashes  of  a  Young  HAMLET  ;  and  no 
one  else  could  have  pleas' d  the  Town,  he  was  so 
rooted  in  their  Opinion. — His  younger  Cotempo- 
rary,  (Betterton  63,  Powel  40,  Years  old)  POWEL, 
attempted  several  of  Better  tons  Parts,  as  Alex 
ander,  Jaffier,  &c.  but  lost  his  Credit ;  as,  in  Alex 
ander,  he  maintain'd  not  the  Dignity  of  a  King,  but 
Out-Heroded  HEROD  ;  and  in  his  poison'd,  mad  Scene, 
out-ravd  all  Probability ;  while  Betterton  kept  his 
Passion  under,  and  shew'd  it  most  (as  Fume  smoaks 
most,  when  stifled)  Betterton,  from  the  Time  he  was 
dress'd,  to  the  End  of  the  Play,  kept  his  Mind  in  the 
same  Temperament  and  Adaptness,  as  the  present 
Character  required. — If  I  was  to  write  of  him  all  Day, 
I  should  still  remember  fresh  Matter  in  his  Behalf; 
and,  before  I  part  with  him,  suffer  this  facetious 
Story  of  him,  and  a  Country  Tenant  of  his. 

Mr.  Betterton  had  a  small  Farm  near  Reading,  in 
the  County  of  Berks  ;  and  the  Countryman  came,  in 
the  Time  of  Bartholomew-Fair,  to  pay  his  Rent. — 
Mr.  Betterton  took  him  to  the  Fair,  and  going  to  one 
Crawleys  Puppet-Shew,  offer' d  Two  Shillings  for 
himself  and  Roger,  his  Tenant. — No,  no,  Sir,  said 
Crawley ;  we  never  take  Money  of  one  another. 
This  affronted  Mr.  Betterton  who  threw  down  the 
Money,  and  they  enter'd. — Roger  was  hugeously 
diverted  with  Punch,  and  bred  a  great  Noise,  say- 


302  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

ing,  that  he  would  drink  with  him,  for  he  was  a 
merry  Fellow. — Mr.  Betterton  told  him,  he  was  only 
a  Puppet,  made  up  of  Sticks  and  Rags :  However, 
Roger  still  cried  out,  that  he  would  go  and  drink  with 
Punch. — When  Master  took  him  behind,  where  the 
Puppets  hung  up,  he  swore,  he  thought  Punch  had 
been  alive. — However,  said  he,  though  he  be  but  Sticks 
and  Rags,  Til  give  him  Six-pence  to  drink  my  Health. 
— At  Night,  Mr.  Betterton  went  to  the  Theatre,  when 
was  play'd  the  ORPHAN  ;  Mr.  Betterton  acting  Cas- 

talio\  Mrs.  Barry,  Monimia. J^W/(said  Master) 

how  dost  like  this  Play,  Roger  ?  Why,  I  dont  knows, 
(says  Roger)  its  well  enoughtfor  Sticks  and  Rags. 

To  end  with  this  Phoenix  of  the  Stage,  I  must  say 
of  him,  as  Hamlet  does  of  his  Father :  "He  was 
a  Man  (take  him  for  all  in  all)  I  cannot  look  upon  his 
Like  again." 

His  Favourite,  Mrs.  BARRY,  claims  the  next  in 
/Estimation.  They  were  both  never  better  pleas'd, 
than  in  Playing  together. — Mrs.  Barry  outshin'd 
Mrs.  Bracegirdle  in  the  Character  of  ZARA  in  the 
Mourning  Bride,  altho'  Mr.  Congreve  design' d 
Almeriafor  that  Favour. — And  yet,  this  fine  Creature 
was  not  handsome,  her  Mouth  op'ning  most  on  the 
Right  Side,  which  she  strove  to  draw  t'other  Way,  and, 
at  Times,  composing  her  Face,  as  if  sitting  to  have 
her  Picture  drawn. — Mrs.  Barry  was  middle-siz'd, 
and  had  darkish  Hair,  light  Eyes,  dark  Eye-brows, 
and  was  indifferently  plump  : — Her  Face  somewhat 
preceded  her  Action,  as  the  latter  did  her  Words, 


COLLEY   GIBBERS    LIVES.  303 

her  Face  ever  expressing  the  Passions  ;  not  like  the 
Actresses  of  late  Times,  who  are  afraid  of  putting 
their  Faces  out  of  the  Form  of  N on- meaning,  lest 
they  should  crack  the  Cerum,  White-Wash,  or  other 
Cosmetic,  trowel'd  on.  Mrs.  Barry  had  a  Manner 
of  drawing  out  her  Words,  which  became  her,  but  not 

Mrs.  Braidshaw,  and  Mrs.  Porter,  (Successors.) 

To  hear  her  speak  the  following  Speech  in  the 
ORPHAN,  was  a  Charm : 

Fm  ne'er  so  well  pleas  d,  as  when  I  hear  thee  speak, 

And  listen  to  the  Music  of  thy  Voice. 

And  again : 

Whos  he  that  speaks  with  a  Voice  so  sweet, 
As  the  Shepherd  pipes  upon  the  Mountain, 
When  all  his  little  Flock  are  gathring  round  him  ? 

Neither  she,  nor  any  of  the  Actors  of  those  Times, 
had  any  Tone  in  their  speaking,  (too  much,  lately,  in 
Use.) — In  Tragedy  she  was  solemn  and  august — in 
Free  Comedy  alert,  easy,  and  genteel — pleasant  in  her 
Face  and  Action;  filling  the  Stage  with  Variety  of 
Gesture. — She  was  Woman  to  Lady  Shelton,  of 
Norfolk,  (my  Godmother) — when  Lord  Rochester 
took  her  on  the  Stage ;  where  for  some  Time,  they 
could  make  nothing  of  her. — She  could  neither  sing, 
nor  dance,  no,  not  in  a  Country-Dance. 

Mrs.  BRACEGIRDLE,  that  Diana  of  the  Stage, 
hath  many  Places  contending  for  her  Birth — The 
most  received  Opinion  is,  that  she  was  the  Daughter 


304  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

of  a  Coachman,  Coachmaker,  or  Letter-out  of  Coaches, 
in  the  Town  of  Northampton. — But  I  am  inclinable 
to  my  Father's  Opinion,  (who  had  a  great  Value  for 
her  reported  Virtue)  that  she  was  a  distant  Relation, 
and  came  out  of  Staffordshire,  from  about  Walsal  or 
Wolverhampton. — She  had  many  Assailants  on  her 
Virtue,  as  Lord  Lovelace,  Mr.  Congreve,  the  last  of 
which  had  her  Company  most ;  but  she  ever  resisted 
his  vicious  Attacks,  and,  yet,  was  always  uneasy  at 
his  leaving  her ;  on  which  Observation  he  made  the 
following  Song  : 

PIOUS  Celinda^^  to  Prayrs, 

Wheneer  I  ask  the  Favour ; 
Yet,  the  tender  Fool's  in  Tears, 

When  she  believes  I'll  leave  her. 
Woud  I  were  free  from  this  Restraint, 

Or  else  had  Power  to  win  her  ! 
Woud  she  coud  make  of  me  a  Saint, 

Or  I  of  her  a  Sinner  / 

And,  as  Mr.  Durfey  alludes  to  it  in  his  Puppet 
Song — in  Don  Quixot, 

Since  that  our  Fate  intends 

Our  Amity  shall  be  no  dearer, 
Still  let  us  kiss  and  be  Friends, 

And  sigh  we  shall  never  come  nearer. 

She  was  very  shy  of  Lord  Lovelace  s  Company,  as 
being  an  engaging  Man,  who  drest  well  :  And  as, 
every  Day,  his  Servant  came  to  her,  to  ask  her  how 
she  did,  she  always  returned  her  Answer  in  the  most 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  305 

obeisant  Words  and  Behaviour,  That  she  was  indij- 
ferent  well,  she  humbly  thank 'd  his  Lordship. — She 
was  of  a  lovely  Height,  with  dark-brown  Hair  and 
Eye-brows,  black  sparkling  Eyes,  and  a  fresh  blushy 
Complexion  ;  and,  whenever  she  exerted  herself,  had 
an  involuntary  Flushing  in   her    Breast,  Neck  and 
Face,   having  continually  a  chearful  Aspect,  and  a 
fine  Set  of  even  white  Teeth  ;  never  making  an  Exit, 
but  that  she  left  the  Audience  in  an  Imitation  of  her 
pleasant  Countenance.  Genteel  Comedy  was  her  chief 
Essay,  and  that  too  when  in  Men's  Cloaths,  in  which 
she  far  surmounted  all  the  Actresses  of  that  and  this 
Age. — Yet  she  had  a  Defect  scarce  perceptible,  viz. 
her  Right  Shoulder  a  little  protended,  which,  when 
in  Men's  Cloaths,  was  cover'd  by  a  long  or  Cam 
paign  Peruke. — She  was  finely  shap'd,  and  had  very 
handsome  Legs  and  Feet ;  and  her  Gait,  or  Walk, 
was  free,  manlike,  and  modest,  when  in  Breeches. — 
Her  Virtue  had  its  Reward,  both  in  Applause  and 
Specie •;  for  it  happen'd,  that  as  the  Dukes  of  Dorset 
and  Devonshire,   Lord  Hallifax,  and  other  Nobles, 
over  a  Bottle,  were  all  extolling  Mrs.  Bracegirdlds 
virtuous    Behaviour,   Come,    says    Lord  Hallifax — 
You  all  commend  her  Virtue,  &c.  but  why  do  we  not 
present   this   incomparable    Woman   with   something 
worthy  her  Acceptance?     His    Lordship   deposited 
200  Guineas,  which  the  rest  made  up  800,  and  sent 
to  her,  with  Encomiums  on  her  Virtue. — She  was, 
when  on  the  Stage,  diurnally  Charitably  going  often 
into  Clare-Market,  and  giving   Money  to  the  poor 


306  A   BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

unemploy'd  Basket-women,  insomuch  that  she  could 
not  pass  that  Neighbourhood  without  the  thankful 
Acclamations  of  People  of  all  Degrees ;  so  that,  if 
any  Person  had  affronted  her,  they  would  have  been 
in  Danger  of  being  kill'd  directly ;  and  yet  this  good 
Woman  was  an  Actress. — She  has  been  off  the  Stage 
these  26  Years  or  more,  but  was  alivey^/j/  20.  1747  ; 
for  I  saw  her  in  the  Strand,  London,  then — with  the 
Remains  of  charming  Bracegirdle. 

Mr.  SANDFORD,  although  not  usually  deem'd 
an  Actor  of  the  first  Rank,  yet  the  Characters 
allotted  him  were  such,  that  none  besides,  then,  or 
since,  ever  topp'd ;  for  his  Figure,  which  was  dimi 
nutive  and  mean,  (being  Round-shoulder'd,  Meagre- 
fac'd,  Spindle-shank'd,  Splay-footed,  with  a  sour 
Countenance,  and  long  lean  Arms)  render'd  him  a 
proper  Person  to  discharge  Jago,  Foresight,  and 
Malignij,  in  the  VILLAIN.  B.ut  he  fail'd  in  suc 
ceeding  in  a  fine  Description  of  a  triumphant  Caval 
cade,  in  Alonzo,  in  the  MOURNING  BRIDE,  because  his 
Figure  was  despicable,  (although  his  Energy  was,  by 
his  Voice  and  Action,  enforc'd  with  great  Soundness 
of  Art,  and  Justice.) — This  Person  acted  strongly 
with  his  Face, — and  (as  King  Charles  said)  was  the 
best  Villain  in  the  World. — He  proceeded  from  the 
Sandfords  of  Sandford,  that  lies  between  Whitchurch 
and  Newport,  in  Shropshire. — He  would  not  be  con- 
cern'd  with  Mr.  Betterton,  Mrs.  Barry,  &c.  as  a 
Sharer  in  the  Revolt  from  Drury-Lane  to  Lincoln's- 


CAVE        UNDERHILL 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  307 

Inn- Fields',  but  said,  This  is  my  Agreement. — To 
Samuel  Sandford,  Gentleman,  Threescore  Shillings 

a  Week. Pho !  pho !  said  Mr.  Betterton,  Three 

Pounds  a    Week. No,    no,   said  Sandford  ; — To 

Samuel  Sandford,  Gentleman,  Threescore  Shillings  a 
Week.  For  which  Cave  Under  hill,  who  was  a  f 
Sharer,  would  often  jeer  Sandford',  saying,  Samuel 

Sandford,    Gent,   my  Man. Go,    you   Sot,   said 

Sandford. — To  which  t'other  ever  replied,  Samuel 
Sandford,  my  Man  Samuel. 

CAVE   UNDERBILL,  and   Mr.  DOGGET, 
will  be  the  next  treated  of. 

CAVE  UNDERBILL,  though  not  the  best 
Actor  in  the  Course  of  Precedency,  was  more  ad 
mired  by  the  Actors  than  the  Audience — there  being 
then  no  Rivals  in  his  dry,  heavy,  downright  Way  in 
Low  Comedy. — His  few  Parts  were,  The  first  Grave- 
digger  in  HAMLET, — Sancho  Pancha,  in  the  first  Part 
of  DON  QUIXOT, — Ned  Blunt,  in  the  ROVER, — 
Jacomo,  in  the  LIBERTINE,  and  the  Host,  in  the  VIL 
LAIN  : — All  which  were  dry,  heavy  Characters,  except 
in  Jacomo ;  in  which,  when  he  aim'd  at  any  Arch 
ness,  he  fell  into  downright  Insignificance. — He  was 
about  50  Years  of  Age  the  latter  End  of  King 
Williams  Reign,  about  six  Foot  high,  long  and 
broad-fac'd,  and  something  more  corpulent  than  this 
Author ;  his  Face  very  like  the  Homo  Sylvestris,  or 
Champanza  ;  for  his  Nose  was  flattish  and  short,  and 
his  Upper  Lip  very  long  and  thick,  with  a  wide 

II.  U 


308  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

Mouth  and  short  Chin,  a  churlish  Voice,  and  awk 
ward  Action,  (leaping  often  up  with  both  Legs  at  a 
Time,  when  he  conceived  any  Thing  waggish,  and 

afterwards  hugging  himself  at  the  Thought.) He 

could  not  enter  into  any  serious  Character,  much 
more  Tragedy ;  and  was  the  most  confin'd  Actor  I 
ever  saw  :  And  could  scarce  be  brought  to  speak  a 
short  Latin  Speech  in  DON  QUIXOT,  when  Saftcho  is 
made  to  say,  Sit  bomts  Populus,  bonus  ero  Guberna- 
tor ;  which  he  pronounced  thus  : 

Shit  bones  and  bobble  arse, 
Bones,  and  ears  Goble  Nat^cre. 

He  was  obliged  to  Mr.  Betterton  for  thrusting  him 
into  the  Character  of  Merryman  in  his  Wanton  Wife, 
or  Amorous  Widow ;  but  Westheart  Cave  was  too 
much  of  a  Dullman. — His  chief  Atchievement  was 
in  Lolpoop,  in  the  *  Squire  of  Alsatia  ;  where  it  was 
almost  impossible  for  him  to  deviate  from  himself : 
But  he  did  great  Injustice  to  Sir  Sampson  Legend  in 
Love  for  Love,  unless  it  had  been  true,  that  the 
Knight  had  been  bred  a  Hog-driver. — In  short, 
Underkill  was  far  from  being  a  good  Actor — as 
appear'd  by  the  late  Ben.  Johnsons  assuming  his 
Parts  of  Jacomo — the  Grave-digger  in  Hamlet — and 
Judge  Grypus  in  Amphytrion. — I  know,  Mr.  Under- 
hill  was  much  cry'd  up  in  his  Time ;  but  I  am  so 
stupid  as  not  to  know  why. 

Mr.  DOGGET,  indeed,  cannot  reasonably  be  so 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  309 

censur'd ;  for  whoever  decry'd  him,  must  inevitably 
have  laugh'd  much,  whenever  he  saw  him  act. 

Mr.  Dogget  was  but  little  regarded,  'till  he  chopp'd 
on  the  Character  of  Solon  in  the  Marriage- Hater 
Match  d;  and  from  that  he  vegetated  fast  in  the 
Parts  of  Fondle-wife  in  the  Old  Batchelor — Colignii, 
in  the  Villain — Hob,  in  the  Country  Wa&e—and  Ben 
the  Sailor,  in  Love  for  Love. — But,  on  a  Time,  he 
suffer'd  himself  to  be  expos'd,  by  attempting  the 
serious  Character  of  Phorbas  in  Oedipus,  than  which 
nothing  cou'd  be  more  ridiculous — for  when  he  came 
to  these  Words — (But,  oh!  I  wish  Phorbas  had 
perishd  in  that  very  Moment) — the  Audience  con 
ceived  that  it  was  spoke  like  Hob  in  his  Dying- 
Speech. — They  burst  out  into  a  loud  Laughter ; 
which  sunk  Tom  Doggefs  Progress  in  Tragedy  from 
that  Time. 

Fcelix  qiiem  faciunt  aliena  pericula  cautum. 

But  our  present  LAUREAT  had  a  better  Opinion  of 
himself; — for,  in  a  few  Nights  afterwards,  COLLEY, 
at  the  old  Theatre,  attempted  the  same  Character  ; 
but  was  hiss'd, — his  Voice  sounding  like  Lord  Fop- 
pingtons — Ne  Sutor  ultra  Crepidam. 

Mr.  Dogget  was  a  little,  lively,  spract  Man,  about 

the  Stature  of  Mr.  L ,  Sen.  Bookseller  in  B — h, 

but  better  built. — His  Behaviour  modest,  chearful, 
and  complaisant. — He  sung  in  Company  very  agree 
ably,  and  in  Public  very  comically. — He  danc'd  the 
Cheshire  Roimd  full  as  well  as  the  fam'd  Capt.  George, 


3IO  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

but  with  much  more  Nature  and  Nimbleness. — I  have 
had  the  Pleasure  of  his  Conversation  for  one  Year, 
when  I  travell'd  with  him  in  his  strolling  Company, 
and  found  him  a  Man  of  very  good  Sense,  but 
illiterate ;  for  he  wrote  me  Word  thus — Sir,  I  will 
givey 'ou  #hole  instead  of  (whole)  Share. — He  dress'd 
neat,  and  something  fine — in  a  plain  Cloth  Coat, 
and  a  brocaded  Waistcoat : — But  he  is  so  recent, 
having  been  so  often  at  Bath, — satis  est. — He  gave 
his  Yearly  Water- Badge,  out  of  a  warm  Principle, 

(being  a  staunch  Revolution-  Whig?) 1  cannot  part 

with  this  Nonpareil,  without  saying,  that  he  was  the 
most  faithful,  pleasant  Actor  that  ever  was — for  he 
never  deceiv'd  his  Audience — because,  while  they 
gaz'd  at  him,  he  was  working  up  the  Joke,  which 
broke  out  suddenly  in  involuntary  Acclamations  and 
Laughter. — Whereas  our  modern  Actors  are  fumbling 
the  dull  Minutes,  keeping  the  gaping  Pit  in  Suspence 
of  something  delightful  a  coming, — Et  parturiunt 
Monies,  nascitur  ridiculus  Mus. 

He  was  the  best  Face-player  and  Gesticulator, 
and  a  thorough  Master  of  the  several  Dialects, 
except  the  Scots  >  (for  he  never  was  in  Scotland}  but 
was,  for  all  that,  a  most  excellent  Sawney.  Who 
ever  would  see  him  pictur'd,  may  view  his  Picture, 
in  the  Character  of  Sawney,  at  the  Dukes  Head  in 

Lynn-Regis,  in  Norfolk. While  I  travell'd  with 

him,  each  Sharer  kept  his  Horse,  and  was  every 
where  respected  as  a  Gentleman. 

Jack    Verbruggen,  in  Point   of   Merit,  will  salute 
you  next. 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  311 

JACK  VERBRUGGEN,  that  rough  Diamond, 
shone  more  bright  than  all  the  artful,  polish'd  Bril- 
lants  that  ever  sparkled  on  our  Stage. — (JACK bore 
the  BELL  away.) — He  had  the  Words  perfect  at 
one  View,  and  Nature  directed  'em  into  Voice  and 
Action,  in  which  last  he  was  always  pleasing — his 
Person  being  tall,  well-built  and  clean  ;  only  he  was 
a  little  In-kneed,  which  gave  him  a  shambling  Gate, 
which  was  a  Carelessness,  and  became  him. — His 
chief  Parts  were  Bajazet,  Oroonoko,  Edgar  in  King 
Lear,  Wilmore  in  the  Rover,  and  Cassius,  when  Mr. 
Betterton  play'd  Brutus  with  him. — Then  you  might 
behold  the  grand  Contest,  viz.  whether  Nature  or 
Art  excell'd — Verbruggen  wild  and  untaught,  or 
Betterton  in  the  Trammels  of  Instruction. —  In 
Edgar,  in  King  Lear,  Jack  shew'd  his  Judgment 
most ;  for  his  Madness  was  unlimited  :  Whereas  he 
sensibly  felt  a  Tenderness  for  Cordelia,  in  these 
Words,  (speaking  to  her) — As  you  did  once  know 
Edgar  ! — And  you  may  best  conceive  his  manly, 
wild  Starts,  by  these  Words  in  Oroonoko, — Hal  thou 
hast  rousd  the  Lyon  \in\  his  Den  ;  he  stalks  abroad, 
and  the  wild  Forest  trembles  at  his  Roar  : — Which 
was  spoke,  like  a  Lyon,  by  Oroonoko,  and  Jack  Ver 
bruggen  ;  for  Nature  was  so  predominant,  that  his 
second  Thoughts  never  alter'd  his  prime  Perfor 
mance. — The  late  Marquess  of  Hallifax  order'd 
Oroonoko  to  be  taken  from  George  Powel,  saying  to 
Mr.  Southern,  the  Author, — That  Jack  was  the  un- 
polish'd  Hero,  and  wou'd  do  it  best. — In  the  Rover 


312  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

(Wilmore)  never  were  more  beautiful  Scenes  than 
between  him,  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  in  the  Character 
of  Helena-,  for,  what  with  Verbruggeris  untaught 
Airs,  and  her  smiling  Repartees,  the  Audience  were 
afraid  they  were  going  off  the  Stage  every  Moment. 
—  Verbruggen  was  Nature,  without  Extravagance — 
Freedom,  without  Licentiousness — and  vociferous, 

without  bellowing. He  was  most  indulgently  soft, 

when  he  says  to  Imoinda, — /  cannot,  as  I  woiid, 
bestow  thee  ;  and,  as  I  ought,  I  dare  not. — Yet,  with 
all  these  Perfections,  Jack  did,  and  said,  more  silly 
Things  than  all  the  Actors  besides ;  for  he  was 
drawn  in  at  the  common  Cheat  of  Pricking  at  the 
Girdle,  Cups  and  Balls,  &c.  and  told  his  Wife  one 
Day  that  he  had  found  out  a  Way  to  raise  a  great 
Benefit. — /  hope,  said  she,  you  II  have  your  Bills 
printed  in  Gold  Letters. — No,  no,  better  than  that, 
said  he  ;  for  I'll  have  the  King's- Arms  all  in  Gold 
Letters. — As  Mr.  Verbruggen  had  Nature  for  his 
Directress  in  Acting,  so  had  a  known  Singer,  Jemmy 
Bowen,  the  same  in  Music  : — He,  when  practising  a 
Song  set  by  Mr.  PURCELL,  some  of  the  Music  told 
him  to  grace  and  run  a  Division  in  such  a  Place.  O 
let  him  alone,  said  Mr.  Pur  cell  \  he  will  grace  it  more 
naturally  than  you,  or  I,  can  teach  him. — In  short,  an 
Actor,  like  a  Poet, 

Nascitur,  non  fit. 

And  this  Author  prizes  himself  on  that  Attempt, 
as  he  hath  had  the  Judgment  of  all  the  best  Critics 


COLLEY    GIBBERS    LIVES.  313 

in  the  Character  of  Fondlewife  in  the  Old  Batchelor. 
— If  you  woud  see  Nature,  say  they,  see  Tony 
Aston — if  Art,  Colley  Gibber; — and,  indeed,  I  have 
shed  mock  Tears  in  that  Part  often  involuntarily. 

Mrs.  VERBRUGGEN  claims  a  Place  next.  She 
was  all  Art,  and  her  Acting  all  acquired,  but  dress'd 
so  nice,  it  look'd  like  Nature.  There  was  not  a 
Look,  a  Motion,  but  what  were  all  design'd ;  and 
these  at  the  same  Word,  Period,  Occasion,  Incident, 
were  every  Night,  in  the  same  Character,  alike;  and 
yet  all  sat  charmingly  easy  on  her. — Her  Face, 
Motion,  &c.  chang'd  at  once  :  But  the  greatest,  and 
usual,  Position  was  Laughing,  Flirting  her  Fan,  and 
je  ne  scay  quois, — with  a  Kind  of  affected  Twitter. — 
She  was  very  loath  to  accept  of  the  Part  of  Weldon 
in  Oroonoko,  and  that  with  just  Reason,  as  being 
obliged  to  put  on  Men's  Cloaths — having  thick  Legs 
and  Thighs,  corpulent  and  large  Posteriours  ; — but 
yet  the  Town  (that  respected  her)  compounded,  and 
receiv'd  her  with  Applause  ;  for  she  was  the  most 
pleasant  Creature  that  ever  appear'd :  Adding  to 
these,  that  she  was  a  fine,  fair  Woman,  plump,  full- 
featur'd  ;  her  Face  of  a  fine,  smooth  Oval,  full  of 
beautiful,  well-dispos'd  Moles  on  it,  and  on  her  Neck 
and  Breast. — Whatever  she  did  was  not  to  be  call'd 
Acting  ;  no,  no,  it  was  what  she  represented  :  She 
was  neither  more  nor  less,  and  was  the  most  easy 
Actress  in  the  World.  The  late  Mrs.  OLDFIELD 
borrow'd  something  of  her  Manner  in  free  Comedy  ; 


314  A   BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT   TO 

— as  for  Tragedy,  Mrs.  Verbruggen  never  attempted 
it.  Melanthe  was  her  Master-piece  ;  and  the  Part 
of  Hillaria  in  Tunbridge-  Walks  cou'd  not  be  said  to 
be  Acted  by  any  one  but  her. — Her  Maiden-Name 
\rasPercival',  and  she  was  the  Widow  of  Mr.  Mount- 
ford,  (who  was  kill'd  by  Lord  Mohun)  when  Mr. 
Verbruggen  married  her. — She  was  the  best  Conver 
sation  possible ;  never  captious,  or  displeas'd  at  any 
Thing  but  what  was  gross  or  indecent ;  for  she  was 
cautious,  lest  fiery y^^shou'd  so  resent  it  as  to  breed 
a  Quarrel ; — for  he  wou'd  often  say, — Dammeel  thd  I 
dont  much  value  my  Wife,  yet  no  Body  shall  affront 
her,  by  G — d\  and  his  Sword  was  drawn  on  the  least 
Occasion,  which  was  much  in  Fashion  at  the  latter 
End  of  King  Williams  Reign ; — at  which  Time  I 
came  on  the  Stage,  when  Mr.  Dogget  left  it ;  and 
then  the  facetiousy<?£  Haines  was  declining  in  Years 
and  Reputation,  tho'  a  good  Actor  and  Poet,  his 
Prologues  exceeding  all  ever  wrote. — \Vide  Love 
and  a  Bottle.] 

JOE  HAINES  is  more  remarkable  for  the 
witty,  tho'  wicked,  Pranks  he  play'd,  and  for  his  Pro 
logues  and  Epilogues,  than  for  Acting. — He  was,  at 
first,  a  Dancer. — After  he  had  made  his  Tour  of 
France,  he  narrowly  escaped  being  seiz'd,  and  sent  to 
the  Bastile,  for  personating  an  English  Peer,  and 
running  3000  Livres  in  Debt  in  Paris ;  but,  happily 
landing  at  Dover,  he  went  to  London,  where  in  Bar 
tholomew-Fair,  he  set  up  a  Droll- Booth,  and  acted  a 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  315 

new  Droll,  call'd,  The  Whore  of  Babylon,  the  Devil, 
and  the  Pope.  This  was  in  the  first  Year  of  King 
James  II.  when  Joe  was  sent  for,  and  roundly 
admonish'd,  by  Judge  Pollixfen  for  it.  Joe  reply'd, 
That  he  did  it  in  Respect  to  his  Holiness ;  for,  whereas 
many  ignorant  People  believed  the  Pope  to  be  a  Beast, 
he  shewd  him  to  be  a  fine,  comely  old  Gentleman,  as  he 
was ;  not  with  Seven  Heads,  and  Ten  Horns,  as  the 
Scotch  Parsons  describe  him.  However,  this  Affair 
spoil'd  Joes  expiring  Credit ;  for  next  Morning,  a 
Couple  of  Bailiffs  seiz'd  him  in  an  Action  of  2O/.  as 
the  Bishop  of  Ely  was  passing  by  in  his  Coach. — 
Quoth  Joe  to  the  Bailiffs, — Gentlemen,  heres  my 
Cousin,  the  Bishop  of  Ely,  going  into  his  House  ;  let 
me  but  speak  to  him,  and  he  II  pay  the  Debt  and 
Charges.  The  Bailiffs  thought  they  might  venture 
that,  as  they  were  within  three  or  four  Yards  of  him. 
So,  up  goes  Joe  to  the  Coach,  pulling  off  his  Hat, 
and  got  close  to  it.  The  Bishop  order' d  the  Coach 
to  stop,  whilst  Joe  (close  to  his  Ear)  said  softly,  My 
Lord,  here  are  two  poor  Men,  who  have  such  great 
Scruples  of  Conscience,  that,  I  fear,  they  II  hang  them 
selves. — Very  well,  said  the  Bishop.  So,  calling  to 
the  Bailiffs,  he  said,  You  two  Men,  come  to  me  To 
morrow  Morning,  and  Pll  satisfy  yoii.  The  Men 
bow'd,  and  went  away.  Joe  (hugging  himself  with 
his  fallacious  Device)  went  also  his  Way.  In  the 
Morning,  the  Bailiffs  (expecting  the  Debt  and 
Charges)  repair' d  to  the  Bishop's ;  where  being  in 
troduced, —  Well,  said  the  Bishop,  what  are  your 


3l6  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT    TO 

Scruples  of  Conscience  ? — Scruples  !  (said  the  Bailiffs) 
we  have  no  Scruples  :  We  are  Bailiffs •,  my  Lord,  who. 
Yesterday,  arrested  your  Coiisin,  Joe  Haines,  for 
2O/.  Your  Lordship  promised  to  satisfy  us  To-day, 
and  we  hope  yo^lr  Lordship  will  be  as  good  as  your 
Word. — The  Bishop,  reflecting  that  his  Honour  and 
Name  would  be  expos'd,  (if  he  complied  not)  paid 
the  Debt  and  Charges. — There  were  two  Parts  of 
Plays  (NolBluffm  the  Old  Batchelor,  and  Roger  in 
^Esofi)  which  none  ever  touch'd  but  Joe  Haines. — I 
own,  I  have  copied  him  in  Roger,  as  I  did  Mr. 
Dogget  in  Fondlewife. — But,  now,  for  another  Story 
of  him. 

In  the  long  Vacation,  when  Harlots,  Poets,  and 
Players,  are  all  poor, — Joe  walking  in  Cross-Street,  by 
Hatton-Garden,  sees  a  fine  Venison- Pasty  come  out 
of  Glassop's,  a  Pastry-Cook's  Shop,  which  a  Boy  car 
ried  to  a  Gentleman's  House  thereby. — -Joe  watch'd 
it ;  and  seeing  a  Gentleman  knock  at  the  Door,  he 
goes  to  the  Door,  and  ask'd  him  if  he  had  knock'd 
at  it :  Yes,  said  the  Gentleman  ;  the  Door  is  opend. 
— In  goes  the  Gentleman,  and  Joe  after  him,  to  the 
Dining- Room. — Chairs  were  set,  and  all  ready  for  the 
Pasty.  The  Master  of  the  House  took  Joe  for  the 
Gentleman's  Friend,  whom  he  had  invited  to  Din 
ner  ;  which  being  over,  the  Gentleman  departed. 
Joe  sat  still. — Says  the  Master  of  the  House  to  Joe, 
Sir,  I  thought  you  would  have  gone  with  your  Friend! 
— My  Friend,  said  Joe ;  alas  /  I  never  saw  him 
before  in  my  Life. — No,  Sir,  replied  the  other : 


COLLEY  GIBBER'S  LIVES.  317 

Pray,  Sir,  then  how  came  you  to  Dinner  here  ? — Sir, 
said  Joe,  I  saw  a  Venison-Pasty  carried  in  here ;  and, 
by  this  Means,  have  dind  very  heartily  of  it.  My 
Name  is  Joe  Haines,  (said  he)  /  belong  to  the  Theatre. 
— Oh,  Mr.  Haines,  (continued  the  Gentleman)  you  are 
very  welcome ;  you  are  a  Man  of  Wit :  Come,  bring 
t'other  bottle-,  which  being  finish'd,  Joe,  with  good 
Manners,  departed,  and  purposely  left  his  Cane  be 
hind  him,  which  he  designed  to  be  an  Introduction 
to  another  Dinner  there  :  For,  next  Day,  when  they 
were  gone  to  Dinner,  Joe  knock'd  briskly  at  the 
Door,  to  call  for  his  Cane,  when  the  Gentleman  of 
the  House  was  telling  a  Friend  of  his  the  Trick  he 
play'd  the  Day  before. — Pray  call  Mr.  Haines  in  — 
So,  Mr.  Haines,  said  he;  sit  down,  and  partake  of 
another  Dinner. — To  tell  you  the  Truth,  said  Joe,  I 
left  my  Cane  Yesterday  on  purpose :  At  which  they 
all  laugh'd. — Now  foe  (altho'  while  greedily  eating) 
was  very  attentive  to  a  Discourse  on  Humanity 
begun,  and  continued,  by  the  Stranger  Gentleman ; 
wherein  he  advanced,  that  every  Man's  Duty  was  to 
assist  another,  whether  with  Advice,  Money,  Cloaths, 
Food,  or  whatever  else.  This  Sort  of  Principle 
suited  Joes  End,  as  by  the  Sequel  will  appear.  The 
Company  broke  up,  and  Joe,  and  the  Gentleman, 
walk'd  away,  (Joe  sighing  as  he  went  along.)  The 
Gentleman  said  to  him,  What  do  you  sigh  for  ? — Dear 
Sir,  (quothyi^)  I  fear  my  Landlord  will,  this  Day,  seize 
my  Goods  for  only  a  Quarter  s  Rent,  due  last  Week. — 
How  much  is  the  Money  ?  said  the  Gentleman. — 


318  A    BRIEF    SUPPLEMENT. 

Fifty  Shillings,  said  foe,  and  the  Patentees  owe  me  Ten 
Pounds,  which  will  be  paid  next  Week. — Come,  said 
the  Gentleman,  Fll  lend  thee  Fifty  Shillings  on  your 
Note,  to  pay  me  faithfully  in  three  Weeks.  Which 
Joe,  with  many  Promises  and  Imprecations,  sign'd. — 
But  foe,  thereafter,  had  his  Eyes  looking  out  before 
him  ;  and,  whenever  he  saw  the  Gentleman,  would 
carefully  avoid  him ;  which  the  Gentleman  one  Day 
perceiv'd,  and  going  a-cross  Smithfoeld,  met  Joe  full 
in  the  Face,  and,  in  the  Middle  of  the  Rounds,  stopp'd 
him.  Taking  him  by  the  Collar,  Sirrah,  said  he, 
pray  pay  me  now,  you  impudent,  cheating  Dog,  or  I'll 
beat  you  into  a  Jelly. — -Joe  fell  down  on  his  Knees, 
making  a  dismal  Outcry,  which  drew  a  Mob  about 
them,  who  enquir'd  into  the  Occasion,  which  was 
told  them ;  and  they,  upon  hearing  it,  said  to  the 
Gentleman,  That  the  poor  Man  could  not  pay  it,  if  he 
had  it  not. —  Well,  said  he,  let  him  kneel  down,  and 
eat  up  that  thin  Sirreverence,  and  Fll  forgive  him, 
and  give  up  his  Note. — -Joe  promis'd  he  would,  and 
presently  eat  it  all  up,  smearing  his  Lips  and  Nose 
with  the  human  Conserve.  The  Gentleman  gave 
him  his  Note ;  when  Joe  ran  and  embrac'd  him, 
kissing  him,  and  bedaubing  his  Face,  and  setting 
the  Mob  a  hollowing. 

The  SECOND  PART  of  their  LIVES,  with  the  Con 
tinuation  of  JOE  RAINES'.?  Pranks,  the  Author  hopes 
a  fresh  Advance  for. In  the  Interim,  he  thanks 

his  Friends. 

FINIS. 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  ACTORS  AND  ACTRESSES 
MENTIONED  BY  CIBBER, 

TAKEN   FROM   EDMUND  BELLCHAMBERS'S   EDITION   OF 
THE  "APOLOGY,"    1 822. 

WILLIAM  SMITH. 

THIS  judicious  actor,  who  is  said  to  have  been  origi 
nally  a  barrister,  came  into  the  Duke's  Company, 
when  acting  under  Sir  William  D'Avenant,  in  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  about  the  year  1663.  He  rose  soon  after  to  the 
duties  of  Buckingham,  in  "  King  Henry  the  Eighth,"  and 
subsequently  filled  a  range  of  characters  distinguished  by 
their  variety  and  importance.  Sir  William  Stanley,  in 
Caryl's  wretched  play  of  the  "  English  Princess,"  procured 
him  additional  estimation  and  applause,  which  were  still 
farther  enlarged  by  his  performance  of  Stanford  in  Shad- 
well's  "  Sullen  Lovers."  Mr.  Smith  was  the  original  Chamont 
in  Otway's  "  Orphan,"  and  played  many  parts  of  as  much 
local  consequence  in  pieces  that  are  now  forgotten. 

Chetwood  informs  us  that  Mr.  Smith  was  zealously 
attached  to  the  interests  of  King  James  the  Second,  in 
whose  army,  attended  by  two  servants,  he  entered  as  a 
volunteer.  Upon  the  abdication  of  that  monarch,  he  re 
turned  to  the  stage,  by  the  persuasions  of  many  friends, 
who  admired  his  performances,  and  resumed  his  original 
part  of  Wilmore  in  the  "  Rover ; "  but  having  been  received 
with  considerable  disapprobation,  on  account  of  his  party 

NOTE. — All  passages  enclosed  in  square  brackets  are  by  the  present 
editor,  who  is  also  responsible  for  the  notes  marked  (L.). 


320  MEMOIRS    OF 

principles,  the  audience  was  dismissed,  and  he  departed 
from  public  life  in  the  manner  already  mentioned.  It  is 
difficult  to  reconcile  these  discrepancies.  Chetwood's  mi 
nuteness  looks  like  credibility,  and  Gibber  has  committed  a 
mistake  in  stating  that  Mr.  Smith  "  entirely  quitted  "  the 
stage  at  this  secession,  he  having  returned  in  1695,  when 
at  the  earnest  solicitations  of  his  sincere  friends  Mr.  Betterton 
and  Mrs.  Barry,  strengthened  by  the  influence  of  Congreve 
over  many  of  his  connections  in  high  life,  he  consented  to 
sustain  the  part  of  Scandal  in  that  author's  comedy  of 
"  Love  for  Love,"  upon  its  production  at  the  new  theatre  in 
Little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  when  his  inimitable  performance 
imparted  an  extra  charm  to  that  admirable  play.  Con 
tinued  peals  of  applause  attested  the  satisfaction  which  his 
auditors  felt  at  the  return  of  their  old  favourite,  and  it  seems 
singular  that  Congreve  should  have  wholly  overlooked  this 
memorable  event,  in  the  "prologue"  at  least,  where  the 
defection  of  Williams  and  Mrs.  Mountfort  is  thus  obscurely 
stated : 

Forbear  your  wonder,  and  the  fault  forgive 

If  in  our  larger  family  we  grieve 

One  falling  Adam,  and  one  tempted  Eve. 

Mr.  Smith  continued  on  the  stage  till  about  twelve  months 
after  this  period,  when,  according  to  Downes,  having  a  long 
part  in  Banks's  tragedy  of  "  Cyrus,"  1696,  he  fell  sick  on 
the  fourth  day  of  performance,  and  died  from  a  cold,  as 
Chetwood  relates,  occasioned  by  cramp,  which  having 
seized  him  while  in  bed,  he  rose  to  get  rid  of  it,  and  remained 
so  long  in  his  naked  condition,  that  a  fever  ensued  from 
disordered  lungs,  and,  in  three  days,  put  an  end  to  his 
existence. 

We  have  but  a  slender  clue  to  the  stage-management  of 
Mr.  Smith,  which  was  exercised  over  the  Duke's  Company 
in  Dorset-garden,  conjointly  with  Betterton  and  Dr. 
D'Avenant,  when  the  famous  agreement  which  bears  their 
signatures  was  concluded  with  Hart  and  Kynaston,  for  an 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  321 

union  of  the  theatres.  It  has  been  said  that  Booth  [who 
wrote  an  epitaph  on  Smith]  applied  to  him  for  an  en 
gagement,  which  was  refused  from  a  fear  of  offending  his 
relatives,  but  with  that  kindness  of  expression  and  de 
portment  so  warmly  distinguished  in  his  epitaph.  This 
assertion,  however,  is  unfounded,  for  when  Mr.  Smith  died, 
Barton  Booth  was  a  Westminster  scholar,  and  in  the 
fourteenth  year  of  his  age ;  the  character  of  this  eminent 
comedian  must,  accordingly,  have  been  drawn  up  from  such 
intelligence  as  the  writer  acquired  at  a  subsequent  period. 

It  only  remains  to  be  remarked,  that  Chetwood  has 
placed  Mr.  Smith's  original  return  to  the  stage  in  the  year 
1692  ;  but,  not  to  insist  upon  the  known  looseness  of  this 
writer's  information,  let  us  ask  if  a  political  offence  would 
be  so  vehemently  remembered,  after  the  lapse  of  four  years, 
as  to  drive  an  estimable  actor  from  the  harmless  pursuance 
of  his  ordinary  duties  ?  Gibber  is  doubtless  correct  in  the 
floating  date  of  this  fact,  which  must  have  happened  pre 
vious  to  the  revolution.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  principal  actor 
in  Lee's  later  tragedies,  but  in  the  "  Princess  of  Cleve,"  4to, 
1689,  we  find  the  part  he  would  naturally  have  played  to 
Betterton's  Nemours,  supported  by  Mr.  Williams. 

Smith's  value  as  an  actor,  may  be  immediately  felt  by  a 
reference  to  the  parts  he  enjoyed  under  Betterton,  with 
whom  he  lived  till  death  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  en 
hancing  his  fame  by  honourable  emulation,  and  promoting 
his  interests  by  unbroken  amity.  No  instance  has  been 
recorded  of  their  dissention  or  dispute,  and  from  the  notice 
which  Betterton  extended  to  Booth,  he  very  possibly  com 
municated  that  high  account  of  his  departed  friend,  which 
the  latter  has  recorded  with  such  spirit  and  fidelity. 

From  Gibber's  admission,  it  appears,  that  Smith's  moral 
qualities  and  professional  excellence,  procured  him  an  ex 
tensive  reception  among  people  of  rank,  a  patronage  which 
his  polished  manners  continued  to  exact,  till  society,  by  his 
death,  sustained  one  of  its  deepest  deprivations.  (B.)  Chet- 


322  MEMOIRS    OF 

wood's  story  is  now  incapable  either  of  proof  or  disproof. 
The  known  facts  about  Smith's  retirement  are,  that  his  name 
appears  to  Constantine  the  Great,  to  Courtine  in  Otway's 
"Atheist,"  and  to  Lorenzo  in  Southerne's  "  Disappointment," 
in  1684;  that  it  then  disappears,  and  does  not  again  occur 
till  1695.  It  is  probable  that  he  retired  in  1684,  as  it  is  un 
likely  that  his  name  should  not  appear  in  one  or  other  of 
the  1685  bills.  (L.) 

CHARLES  HART. 

Charles  Hart  was  the  great  nephew  of  Shakspeare,  his 
father,  William,  being  the  eldest  son  of  our  poet's  sister 
Joan.  Brought  up  as  an  apprentice  under  Robinson,  a 
celebrated  actor,  he  commenced  his  career,  conformably  to 
the  practice  of  that  time,  by  playing  female  parts,  among 
which  the  Duchess,  in  Shirley's  tragedy  of  the  "  Cardinal," 
was  the  first  that  exhibited  his  talents,  or  enhanced  his 
reputation. 

Puritanism  having  gathered  great  strength,  opposed 
theatrical  amusements  as  vicious  and  profane  institutions, 
which  it  was  at  length  enabled  to  abolish  and  suppress. 
On  the  nth  day  of  February,  i647/  and  the  subsequent 
22d  of  October,  two  ordinances  were  issued  by  the  Long 
Parliament,  whereby  all  stage-players  were  made  liable  to 
punishment  for  following  their  usual  occupation.  Before 
the  appearance  of  this  severe  edict,  most  of  the  actors  had 
gone  into  the  army,  and  fought  with  distinguished  spirit 
for  their  unfortunate  master ;  when,  however,  his  fate  was 
determined,  the  surviving  dependants  on  the  drama  were 
compelled  to  renew  their  former  efforts,  in  pursuance  of 
which  they  returned,  just  before  the  death  of  Charles,  to 
act  a  few  plays  at  the  "  Cockpit "  theatre,  where,  while  per- 

1  This  is  a  specimen  of  that  commonest  of  blunders,  the  confusing 
of  the  dates  of  the  first  month  or  two  of  the  year.  The  edict  was 
issued  February,  1647-8,  that  is,  1648.  What  Bell  chambers  calls  the 
"  subsequent "  October  was  therefore  the  preceding  October.  (L.) 


ACTORS   AND    ACTRESSES.  323 

forming  the  tragedy  of"  Rollo,"  they  were  taken  into  custody 
by  soldiers,  and  committed  to  prison.1  Upon  this  occasion, 
Hart,  who  had  been  a  lieutenant  of  horse,  under  Sir  Thomas 
Dallison,  in  Prince  Rupert's  own  regiment,  sustained  the 
character  of  Otto,  a  part  which  he  afterwards  relinquished  to 
Kynaston,  in  exchange  for  the  fierce  energies  of  his  am 
bitious  brother. 

At  the  Restoration,  Hart  was  enrolled  among  the  com 
pany  constituting  his  Majesty's  Servants,  by  whom  the  new 
Theatre  Royal,  Drury-lane,  was  opened  on  the  8th  of  April, 
1663,  with  Beaumont  and  Fletcher's  play  of  the  "  Humourous 
Lieutenant,"  in  which  he  sustained  a  principal  character 
for  twelve  days  of  successive  representation. 

About  the  year  1667,*  Hart  introduced  Mrs.  Gwyn  upon 
the  dramatic  boards,  and  has  acquired  the  distinction  of 
being  ranked  among  that  lady's  first  felicitous  lovers,  by 
having  succeeded  to  Lacy,  in  the  possession  of  her  charms. 
Nell  had  been  tutored  for  the  stage  by  these  admirers  in 
conjunction,  and  after  testifying  her  gratitude  to  both, 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Lord  Buckhurst,  by  whom  she  was 
transferred  to  the  custody  of  King  Charles  the  Second. 

The  principal  parts,  according  to  Downes,  sustained  by 
Mr.  Hart,  were  Ar&aces,  in  "  King  and  No  King ; "  Amintor, 
in  the  "  Maid's  Tragedy ; "  Othello,  Rolla,  Brutus,  and 
Alexander  the  Great.  Such  was  his  attraction  in  all  these 
characters,  that,  to  use  the  language  of  that  honest  prompter, 
"  if  he  acted  in  any  one  of  these  but  once  in  a  fortnight,  the 
house  was  filled  as  at  a  new  play  ;  especially  Alexander,  he 
acting  that  with  such  grandeur  and  agreeable  majesty,  that 
one  of  the  court  was  pleased  to  honour  him  with  this  com 
mendation — 'that  Hart  might  teach  any  king  on  earth  how 
to  comport  himself  "  His  merit  has  also  been  specified  as 
Mosca,  in  the  "  Fox,"  Don  John,  in  the  "  Chances,"  and 

1  See  "  Historia  Histrionica." 

2  Nell  Gwyn  made  her  first  appearance  not  later  than  1665.     Pepys, 
on  the  3rd  of  April,  1665,  mentions  "  Pretty,  witty  Nell,  at  the  King's 
House."  (L.) 

II.  X 


324  MEMOIRS   OF 

Wildblood,  in  an  "  Evening's  Love ; "  which,  however, 
according  to  the  same  authority,  merely  harmonised  with 
his  general  efforts,  in  commanding  a  vast  superiority  over 
the  best  of  his  successors. 

Rymer  has  said  that  Hart's  action  could  throw  a  lustre 
round  the  meanest  characters,  and,  by  dazzling  the  eyes  of 
the  spectator,  protect  the  poet's  deformities  from  discern 
ment.  He  was  taller,  and  more  genteelly  shaped  than 
Mohun,  on  which  account  he  probably  claimed  the  choice 
of  parts,  and  was  prescriptively  invested  with  the  attributes 
of  youth  and  agility.  He  possessed  a  considerable  share 
in  the  profits  and  direction  of  the  theatre,  which  were 
divided  among  the  principal  performers ;  and  besides  his 
salary  of  £$  a  week,  and  an  allowance  as  a  proprietor, 
amounting  to  six  shillings  and  three-pence  a  day,  is  sup 
posed  to  have  occasionally  cleared  about  £  1000  per  annum. 

[On  the  1/j.th  of  October,  1681,  a  memorandum  was 
signed  between  Dr.  Charles  Davenant,  Betterton,  and 
Smith,  of  the  one  part,  and  Hart  and  Kynaston,  of  the 
other,  by  which  the  two  last  mentioned,  in  consideration  of 
five  shillings  each  for  every  day  on  which  there  shall  be  a 
play  at  the  Duke's  Theatre,  undertake  to  do  all  they  can 
to  break  up  the  King's  Company.  The  result  of  this 
agreement  was  the  Union  of  1682.  This  agreement  is  given 
in  Gildon's  "  Life  of  Betterton "  (p.  8),  and  in  Genest 
(i.  369).  I  suppose  it  is  a  genuine  document,  but  I  confess 
to  some  doubts,  based  chiefly  on  my  belief  that  Betterton 
was  too  honest  to  enter  into  so  shabby  an  intrigue.] 

Declining  age  had  rendered  Hart  less  fit  for  exertion 
than  in  the  vigour  of  life,  and  certain  of  the  young  actors, 
such  as  Goodman  and  Clark,  became  impatient  to  get 
possession  of  his  and  Mohun's  characters.  A  violent 
affliction,  however,  of  the  stone  and  gravel,  compelled  him 
to  relinquish  his  professional  efforts,  and  having  stipulated 
for  the  payment  of  five  shillings-a  day,  during  the  season,1 
he  retired  from  the  stage,  and  died  a  short  time  after. 
1  Should  be  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  (L.) 


ACTORS    AND   ACTRESSES.  325 

Hart  was  always  esteemed  a  constant  observer  of  decency 
in  manners,  and  the  following  anecdote  will  evince  his 
respect  for  the  clergy.  That  witty,  but  abandoned  fellow, 
Jo  Haynes,  had  persuaded  a  silly  divine,  into  whose 
company  he  had  unaccountably  fallen,  that  the  players 
were  a  set  of  people,  who  wished  to  be  reformed,  and 
wanted  a  Chaplain  to  the  Theatre,  an  appointment  for 
which,  with  a  handsome  yearly  income,  he  could  undertake 
to  recommend  him.  He  then  directed  the  clergyman  to 
summon  his  hearers,  by  tolling  a  bell  to  prayers  every 
morning,  a  scheme,  in  pursuance  of  which  Haynes  intro 
duced  his  companion,  with  a  bell  in  his  hand,  behind  the 
scenes,  which  he  frequently  rang,  and  cried  out,  audibly, 
"Players!  players!  come  to  prayers !"  While  Jo  and 
some  others  were  enjoying  this  happy  contrivance,  Hart 
came  into  the  theatre,  and,  on  discovering  the  imposition, 
was  extremely  angry  with  Haynes,  whom  he  smartly  re 
prehended,  and  having  invited  the  clergyman  to  dinner, 
convinced  him  that  this  buffoon  was  an  improper  associate 
for  a  man  of  his  function.1 

1  Vide  Davies's  "  Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.  p.  264. 

Another  anecdote  of  the  same  kind  is  found  in  a  "  Life  of  the  late 
famous  comedian,  J.  Haynes,"  8vo.  1701,  which,  as  it  preserves  a 
characteristic  trait  of  this  valuable  actor,  is  worth  repeating. 

"About  this  time  [1673]  there  happened  a  small  pick  between 
Mr.  Hart  and  Jo,  upon  the  account  of  his  late  negotiation  in  France,* 
and  there  spending  so  much  money  to  so  little  purpose,  or,  as  I  may 
more  properly  say,  to  no  purpose  at  all. 

"  There  happened  to  be  one  night  a  play  acted,  called  'Cataline's 
Conspiracy/  wherein  there  was  wanting  a  great  number  of  senators. 
Now  Mr.  Hart  being  chief  of  the  house,  would  oblige  Jo  to  dress  for 
one  of  these  senators,  although  his  salary,  being  50^.  per  week,  freed 
him  from  any  such  obligation.  But  Mr.  Hart,  as  I  said  before,  being 
sole  governor  of  the  playhouse,  and  at  a  small  variance  with  Jo,  com 
mands  it,  and  the  other  must  obey. 

"Jo  being  vex£bl  at  the  slight  Mr.  Hart  had  put  upon  him,  found  out 
this  method  of  being  revenged  on  him.  He  gets  a  Scaramouch  dress, 

*  Soon  after  the  theatre  in  Drury-lane  was  burnt  down,  Jan.  1671-2,  Haynes  had 
been  sent  to  Paris  by  Mr.  Hart  and  Mr.  Killegrew,  to  examine  the  machinery 
employed  in  the  French  Operas.— Malone. 


326  MEMOIRS  OF 

MICHAEL  MOHUN. 

The  life  of  Michael  Mohun,  though  passed  in  its  early 
stages  beneath  a  different  teacher,  was  chequered  by  the 
very  shades  which  distinguished  that  of  Hart,  with  whom 
he  acquired  his  military  distinctions,  and  reverted  to  a 
theatrical  life.  He  was  brought  up  with  Shatterel,  under 
Beeston,  at  the  "  Cock-pit,"  in  Drury-lane,  where,  in 
Shirley's  play  of  "  Love's  Cruelty,"  he  sustained  the  part 
of  Bellamente,  among  other  female  characters,1  and  held  it 
even  after  the  Restoration. 

Having  attained  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  royal  forces, 
Mohun  went  to  Flanders  upon  the  termination  of  the  civil 
war,  where  he  received  pay  as  a  major,  and  acquitted  him 
self  with  distinguished  credit.  At  the  Restoration,  he  re 
sumed  his  pristine  duties,  and  became  an  able  second  to 
Hart,  with  whom  he  was  equally  admired  for  superlative 
knowledge  of  his  arduous  profession. 

a  large  full  ruff,  makes  himself  whiskers  from  ear  to  ear,  puts  on  his 
head  a  long  Merry- Andrew's  cap,  a  short  pipe  in  his  mouth,  a  little 
three-legged  stool  in  his  hand  ;  and  in  this  manner  follows  Mr.  Hart 
on  the  stage,  sets  himself  down  behind  him,  and  begins  to  smoke  his 
pipe,  laugh,  and  point  at  him,  which  comical  figure  put  all  the  house 
in  an  uproar,  some  laughing,  some  clapping,  and  some  hollaing.  Now 
Mr.  Hart,  as  those  who  knew  him  can  aver,  was  a  man  of  that  exact 
ness  and  grandeur  on  the  stage,  that  let  what  would  happen,  he'd  never 
discompose  himself,  or  mind  any  thing  but  what  he  then  represented ; 
and  had  a  scene  fallen  behind  him,  he  would  not  at  that  time  look  back, 
to  have  seen  what  was  the  matter ;  which  Jo  knowing,  remained  still 
smoking.  The  audience  continued  laughing,  Mr.  Hart  acting,  and 
wondering  at  this  unusual  occasion  of  their  mirth  ;  sometimes  thinking 
it  some  disturbance  in  the  house,  again  that  it  might  be  something 
amiss  in  his  dress  :  at  last  turning  himself  toward  the  scenes,  he  dis 
covered  Jo  in  the  aforesaid  posture  ;  whereupon  he  immediately  goes 
off  the  stage,  swearing  he  would  never  set  foot  on  it  again,  unless  Jo 
was  immediately  turned  out  of  doors,  which  was  no  sooner  spoke,  but 
put  in  practice." 

1  Bellamente  is  not  a  female,  but  a  male  character.  By  referring  to 
the  mention  of  this  matter  in  the  "  Historia  Histrionica,"  it  will  at 
once  be  seen  how  Bellchambers's  blunder  was  caused.  (L.) 


ACTORS    AND    ACTRESSES.  327 

He  is  celebrated  by  Lord  Rochester,  as  the  great  ^Esopus 
of  the  stage  ;  praise,  which,  though  coming  from  one  of  so 
capricious  a  temper,  may  be  relied  on,  since  it  is  confirmed 
by  more  respectable  testimony.  He  was  particularly  re 
markable  for  the  dignity  of  his  deportment,  and  the  elegance 
of  his  step,  which  mimics,  said  his  lordship,  attempted  to 
imitate,  though  they  could  not  reach  the  sublimity  of  his 
elocution.  The  Duke's  comedians,  it  would  seem,  endea 
voured  to  emulate  his  manner,  when  reduced  by  age  and 
infirmity,  a  baseness  which  the  same  noble  observer  has 
thus  warmly  reprehended  : — 

Yet  these  are  they,  who  durst  expose  the  Age 
Of  the  great  Wonder  of  the  English  Stage. 
Whom  Nature  seem'd  to  form  for  your  delight, 
And  bid  him  speak,  as  she  bid  Shakespeare  write. 
These  Blades  indeed  are  Cripples  in  their  Art, 
Mimick  his  Foot,  but  not  his  speaking  part. 
Let  them  the  Tray  tor  or  Volpone  try, 
Could  they 
Rage  like  Cethegus,  or  like  Cassius  die  ? 

(Epilogue  to  Fane's  "  Love  in  the  Dark.") 

Mohun,  from  his  inferior  height  and  muscular  form, 
generally  acted  grave,  solemn,  austere  parts,  though  upon 
more  than  one  occasion,  as  in  Valentine,  in  "  Wit  without 
Money,"  and  Face,  in  the  "  Alchemist," — one  of  his  most 
capital  characters, — he  was  frequently  seen  in  gay  and 
buoyant  assumptions  to  great  advantage.  He  was  singularly 
eminent  as  Melantius,  in  the  "Maid's  Tragedy;"  Mar- 
donins,  in  "  King  and  No  King  ;  "  Clytus,  Mithridates,  and 
the  parts  alluded  to  by  Lord  Rochester.  No  man  had  more 
skill  in  putting  spirit  and  passion  into  the  dullest  poetry  than 
Mohun,  an  excellence  with  which  Lee  was  so  delighted, 
that  on  seeing  him  act  his  own  King  of  Pontus,  he  suddenly 
exclaimed,  "  O,  Mohun,  Mohun,  thou  little  man  of  mettle, 
if  I  should  write  a  hundred  plays,  I'd  write  a  part  for  thy 
mouth  ! "  And  yet  Lee  himself  was  so  exquisite  a  reader, 
that  Mohun  once  threw  down  a  part  in  despair  of  ap- 


328  MEMOIRS    OF 

preaching  the  force  of  the  author's  expression.  The  "Tatler" 
has  adverted  to  his  singular  science  ; l  "in  all  his  parts, 
too,"  says  Downes,"  he  was  most  accurate  and  correct ; " 
and  perhaps  no  encomium  can  transcend  the  honours  of 
unbroken  propriety. 

About  the  year  1681,  there  are  some  reasons  to  suspect 
that  the  king's  company  was  divided  by  feuds  and  ani 
mosities,  which  their  adversaries  in  Dorset-garden  so  well 
improved,  as  to  produce  an  union  of  the  separate  patents. 
Hart  and  Kynaston  were  dexterously  detached  from  their 
old  associates,  by  the  management  of  Betterton,  whose 
conduct,  though  grounded  upon  maxims  of  policy,  can 
derive  no  advantage  from  so  unfair  an  expedient.  Upon 
the  completion  of  this  nefarious  treaty,  Mohun,  who  found 
means  to  retain  the  services  of  Kynaston,  with  the  remnant 
of  the  royal  company,  continued  to  act  in  defiance  of  the 
junction  just  concluded,  as  an  independent  body.  Downes, 
in  his  "  Roscius  Anglicanus,"  so  far  as  the  imperfect  struc 
ture  of  its  sentences  can  be  relied  on,  expressly  asserts  this  ; 
and  yet  if  "  the  patentees  of  each  company  united  patents, 
and,  by  so  incorporating,  the  duke's  company  were  made 
the  king's,  and  immediately  removed  to  the  Theatre  Royal 
in  Drury-lane,"  what  field  did  Mohun  and  his  followers 
select  for  their  operations,  to  pitch  their  tents,  and  hoist 
their  standard  ?  Till  some  period,  at  least,  of  the  year 
1682,  this  party  were  in  possession  of  their  antient  domicile, 
as  Mohun  at  that  time,  acted  Burleigh,  in  Banks's  "  Un 
happy  Favourite,"  and  sustained  a  principal  character  in 
Southern's  "  Loyal  Brother,"  with,  for  his  heroine,  in  both 
pieces,  the  famous  Nell  Gwyn.2 

1  "  My  old  friends  Hart  and  Mohun,  the  one  by  his  natural  and  pro 
per  force,  the  other  by  his  great  skill  and  art,  never  failed  to  send  me 
home  full  of  such  ideas  as  affected  my  behaviour,  and  made  me  insen 
sibly  more  courteous  and  human  to  my  friends  and  acquaintance." — 
« Tatler,"  No.  99. 

2  The  following  extract  from  a  pamphlet,  called  "A  Comparison 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  329 

[Bellchambers  is  here  very  inaccurate.  The  union  of 
1682  was,  no  doubt,  opposed  by  some  of  the  King's  Com 
pany,  from  November,  1 68 1,  when  the  memorandum  between 
Davenant,  Betterton,  Hart,  and  others,  was  executed,  and 
the  date  of  the  actual  conclusion  of  the  union.  This  is 
clearly  indicated  in  Dryden's  Prologue  on  the  opening  of 
Drury  Lane  by  the  united  company  on  i6th  November, 
1682.  But,  whatever  the  opposition  had  been,  it  had  ceased 
then,  because  in  the  cast  of  the  "  Duke  of  Guise,"  produced 
less  than  three  weeks  later,  appear  the  names  of  Kynaston 
and  Wiltshire,  whom  Bellchambers  represents  as  sup 
porting  Mohun  in  his  supposed  opposition  theatre.  (L.)] 

CARDELL  GOODMAN. 

Cardell  Goodman,  according  to  his  own  admissions,  as 
detailed  by  Gibber  elsewhere,  was  expelled  the  university 
of  Cambridge,  for  certain  political  reasons,  a  disgrace,  how 
ever,  which  did  not  disqualify  him  for  the  stage.  He  came 

between  the  Two  Stages,"  will  amply  evince  the  popular  estimation  in 
which  Hart  and  Mohun  were  held  : — 

"  The  late  Duke  of  Monmouth  was  a  good  judge  of  dancing,  and  a 
good  dancer  himself ;  when  he  returned  from  France,  he  brought  with 
him  St.  Andre*,  then  the  best  master  in  France.  The  duke  presented 
him  to  the  stage,  the  stage  to  gratify  the  duke  admitted  him,  and  the 
duke  himself  thought  he  would  prove  a  mighty  advantage  to  them, 
though  he  had  nobody  else  of  his  opinion.  A  day  was  published  in 
the  bills  for  him  to  dance,  but  not  one  more,  besides  the  duke  and  his 
friends  came  to  see  him  ;  the  reason  was,  the  plays  were  then  so  good, 
and  Hart  and  Mohun  acted  them  so  well,  that  the  audience  would  not 
be  interrupted,  for  so  short  a  time,  though  'twas  to  see  the  best  master 
in  Europe." 

I  suspect  that  Mohun  was  born  about  the  year  1625,  from  the  cir 
cumstance  of  his  acting  Bellamente,  the  heroine  of  Shirley's  "  Love's 
Cruelty,"  in  1640,  when  he  had  probably  reached,  and  could  hardly 
have  exceeded,  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  (B.)  As  has  been  before 
pointed  out,  Bellamente  is  not  a  female  character.  He  is  the  husband 
of  Clariana,  and  could  scarcely  be  played  by  a  boy.  If  Mohun  re 
presented  the  character  in  1640,  he  must  have  been  considerably  older 
than  Bellchambers  imagines.  (L.) 


330  MEMOIRS    OF 

upon  it,  accordingly,  by  repairing  to  Drury-lane  theatre, 
where  Downes  has  recorded  [what  was  probably]  his  first 
appearance,  as  Polyperchon,  in  the  "  Rival  Queens,"  4to. 
1677.  Here,  although  we  cannot  trace  his  success  in  any 
character  of  importance,  Mr.  Gibber  has  adverted  to  his 
rapid  advances  in  reputation.  He  followed  the  fortunes  of 
Mohun  in  opposing  the  united  actors,  but,  about  three  years 
afterwards,  resorted  to  them,  (in  1685,)  and  sustained  the 
hero  of  Lord  Rochester's  "  Valentinian."  It  is  about  this 
period  that  his  excellence  must  have  blazed  out  as  Alex 
ander  the  Great,  since  Gibber,  who  went  upon  the  stage 
in  1 690,  says  Goodman  had  retired  before  the  time  of  his 
appearance. 

The  highest  salary  enjoyed  at  that  period  we  are  now 
treating  of,  was  six  shillings  and  three  pence  per  diem,  a 
stipend  that  was  by  no  means  equal  to  the  strong  passions 
and  large  appetites  of  a  gay,  handsome,  inconsiderate  young 
fellow.  He  was  consequently  induced  to  commit  a  robbery 
on  the  highway,  and  sentenced  upon  detection,  to  make  a 
summary  atonement  for  his  fatal  error ;  but  this  being  the 
first  exploit  of  that  kind  to  which  the  scantiness  of  his 
income  had  urged  him,  King  James  was  persuaded  to 
pardon  him,  a  favour  for  which  Goodman  was  so  grateful, 
that,  in  the  year  1696,  he  shared  with  Sir  John  Fenwick  in 
a  design  to  assassinate  King  William,  who  spared  his  life 
in  consideration  of  the  testimony  he  was  to  render  against 
his  accomplice.  This  condition,  however,  Goodman  did  not 
fulfil,  as  he  withdrew  clandestinely  to  the  continent,  to  avoid 
giving  evidence,  and  died  in  exile. 

Having  been  selected  as  a  fit  instrument  for  her  aban 
doned  pleasures  by  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland,  Goodman, 
long  before  his  death,  became  so  happy  in  his  circumstances, 
that  he  acted  only  at  intervals,  when  his  titled  mistress 
most  probably  desired  to  see  him  ;  for  he  used  to  say,  he 
would  not  even  act  Alexander,  unless  his  Duchess  were  in 
front  to  witness  the  performance. 


ACTORS  AND  ACTRESSES.  331 

RICHARD  ESTCOURT. 

Richard  Estcourt,  according  to  the  biographical  notice  of 
Chetwood,  was  born  at  Tewksbury,  in  Glostershire,  in  the 
year  1668,  and  received  a  competent  education  at  the  Latin 
grammar-school  of  his  native  town.  Influenced  by  an  early 
attachment  to  the  stage,  he  left  his  father's  house,  in  the 
fifteenth  year  of  his  age,  with  an  itinerant  company,  and 
on  reaching  Worcester,  to  elude  the  possibility  of  detection, 
made  his  first  appearance  as  Roxana,  in  the  "  Rival  Queens." 
Having  received  a  correct  intimation  of  this  theatrical 
purpose,  his  father  sent  to  secure  the  fugitive,  who  slipped 
away  in  a  suit  of  woman's  clothes,  borrowed  from  one  of 
his  kind-hearted  companions,  and  travelled  to  Chipping- 
Norton,  a  distance  of  five-and-twenty  miles,  in  the  course 
of  the  day. 

To  prevent  such  excursions  for  the  future,  he  was  quickly 
carried  up  to  London,  and  apprenticed  to  an  apothecary  in 
Hatton-garden,  with  whom,  according  to  some  authorities, 
he  continued  till  the  expiration  of  his  indentures,  and  duly 
entered  into  business  ;  which,  either  from  want  of  liking  or 
success  he  soon  afterwards  renounced,  and  returned  to  his 
favourite  avocation.1  Chetwood,  on  the  contrary,  asserts 
that  he  broke  away  from  his  master's  authority,  and  after 
strolling  about  England  for  two  years,  went  over  to  Dublin, 
where  his  performances  were  sanctioned  by  ardent  and 
universal  applause. 

About  the  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century  [that  is, 
1 8th  October,  1704],  Mr.  Estcourt  was  engaged  at  Drury- 
lane  Theatre,  where  he  made  his  debut  as  Dominic,  in  the 
"  Spanish  Friar,"  and  established  his  efforts,  it  is  said,  by  a 
close  imitation  of  Leigh,  the  original  possessor  of  that  part. 
In  the  year  1705  [should  be  1706],  such  was  his  merit  or 

1  This  account,  though  generally  rejected,  appears  to  me  more  de 
serving  of  credit  than  Chetwood's  notoriously  neglectful  habits,  in 
gleaning  intelligence,  or  making  assertion. 


332  MEMOIRS   OF 

reputation,  that  Farquhar  selected  him  for  Sergeant  Kite, 
in  the  "  Recruiting  Officer,"  a  character  to  which  Downes 
has  alluded  in  terms  of  unqualified  praise.  It  is  asserted 
in  the  "Biographia  Dramatica,"  that  Mr.  Estcourt  was 
"  mostly  indebted  for  his  applause  to  his  powers  of  mimicry, 
in  which  he  was  inimitable  ;  and  which  not  only  at  times 
afforded  him  opportunities  of  appearing  a  much  better 
actor  than  he  really  was, — by  enabling  him  to  copy  very 
exactly  several  performers  of  capital  merit,  whose  manner  he 
remembered  and  assumed, — but  also,  by  recommending  him 
to  a  very  numerous  acquaintance  in  private  life,  secured 
him  an  indulgence  for  faults  in  his  public  profession,  that 
he  might  otherwise,  perhaps,  never  have  been  pardoned." 
As  if  an  actor,  in  defiance  of  peculiar  incapacity,  associated 
emulation,  and  public  disgust,  could  maintain,  for  twelve 
successive  years,  the  very  highest  station  in  the  Drury-lane 
company,  attainable  by  talents,  such  as  he  was  only  flattered 
with  possessing ! 

That  Estcourt  was  happy  in  a  "  very  numerous  acquain 
tance,"  there  is  no  reason  to  conceal  or  deny.  He  was  re 
markable  for  the  promptitude  of  his  wit,  and  the  permanence 
of  his  pleasantry,  qualifications  that  recommended  him  to 
the  most  cordial  intercourse  with  Addison,  Steele,  Parnell, 
who  has  honoured  him  in  a  Bacchanalian  poem,  by  the 
name  of  Jocus,  and  other  choice  spirits  of  the  age,  who 
enjoyed  the  variety  of  his  talents,  and  acknowledged  the 
goodness  of  his  heart.  He  was  highly  in  favour  with  the 
great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  but  those  who  know  his 
grace's  character,  will  hardly  be  surprised  to  learn  that  he 
did  not  improve  his  fortune  by  that  dazzling  distinction. 
Estcourt's  honours,  indeed,  were  strictly  nominal,  for  though 
constituted  providore  of  the  Beef-steak  Club, — an  assem 
blage  comprising  the  chief  wits  and  greatest  men  of  the 
nation, — he  gained  nothing  by  the  office  but  their  badge  of 
employment, — a  small  golden  gridiron,  suspended  from  his 
neck  by  a  bit  of  green  riband. 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  333 

If  the  foregoing  remarks  should  be  held  sufficient  to 
redeem  his  dramatic  character  from  the  obloquy  with  which 
it  has  so  long  been  attended,  the  following  anecdote  will 
perhaps  be  accepted  as  ample  evidence  of  his  great  talent 
for  private  mimicry. 

Secretary  Craggs,  when  very  young,  in  company  with 
some  of  his  friends,  went,  with  Estcourt,  to  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller's,  and  whispered  to  him  that  a  gentleman  present 
was  able  to  give  such  a  representation  of  many  among  his 
most  powerful  patrons,  as  would  occasion  the  greatest  sur 
prise.  Estcourt  accordingly,  at  the  artist's  earnest  desire, 
mimicked  Lords  Somers,  Halifax,  Godolphin,  and  others, 
so  exactly,  that  Kneller  was  delighted,  and  laughed  heartily 
at  the  imitations.  Craggs  gave  a  signal,  as  concerted,  and 
Estcourt  immediately  mimicked  Sir  Godfrey  himself,  who 
cried  out  in  a  transport  of  ungovernable  conviction,  "  Nay, 
there  you  are  out,  man !  By  G — ,  that's  not  me  !" 

About  a  twelvemonth  before  his  death,  having  retired 
from  the  stage,  Estcourt  opened  the  Bumper  tavern,  in 
Covent-garden,  and  by  enlarging  his  acquaintance,  most 
probably  shortened  his  days.  He  died  in  the  year  1713 
[should  be  1712],  and  was  buried  near  his  brother  comedian, 
Jo  Haynes,  in  the  church-yard  of  St.  Paul's,  Covent-garden. 


THOMAS  BETTERTON. 

Thomas  Betterton  was  born  in  Tothill-street,  West 
minster,  in  the  year  1635  [baptized  nth  August,  1635],  his 
father  at  that  time  being  under-cook  to  King  Charles  the 
First.  He  received  the  rudiments  of  a  genteel  education, 
and  testified  such  a  propensity  to  literature,  that  it  was  the 
steadfast  intention  of  his  family  to  have  had  him  qualified 
for  some  congenial  employment.  This  design,  the  confusion 
and  violence  of  the  times  most  probably  prevented,  though 
a  fondness  for  reading  induced  them  to  consult  his  inclina 
tions,  and  he  was  accordingly  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Rhodes, 


334  MEMOIRS    OF 

a  respectable  bookseller,  residing  at  the  Bible,  in  Charing- 
cross. 

This  person,  who  had  been  wardrobe-keeper  to  the 
theatre  in  Blackfriars,  before  the  suppression  of  dramatic 
amusements,  on  General  Monk's  approach  to  London,  in 
the  year  1659,  obtained  a  license  from  the  [governing 
powers]  to  collect  a  company  of  actors,  and  employ  them 
at  the  "  Cockpit,"  in  Drury-lane.  Here,  while  Kynaston, 
his  fellow-apprentice,  sustained  the  principal  female  parts, 
Betterton  was  distinguished  by  the  vigour  and  elegance  of 
his  manly  personations.  The  fame  of  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher  was  then  at  its  zenith,  and  in  their  plays  of  the 
" Loyal  Subject,"  and  the  "Mad  Lover,"  added  to  "Pericles," 
the  "  Bondman,"  and  the  "  Changeling,"  Mr.  Betterton  estab 
lished  the  groundwork  of  his  great  reputation. 

Sir  William  D'Avenant  having  been  favoured  with  a 
patent  before  the  civil  wars  broke  out,  obtained  a  renewal 
of  that  royal  grant  upon  the  Restoration,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1662  [should  be  June,  1661],  after  rehearsing  various 
plays  at  Apothecaries'-hall,  he  opened  a  new  theatre  in 
Lincoln's-inn-fields,  where  Rhodes's  comedians,  with  the 
addition  of  Harris,  and  three  others,  were  sworn  before  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  as  servants  of  the  crown,  and  honoured 
by  the  sanction  of  the  Duke  of  York. 

Here  Sir  William  D'Avenant  produced  his  "  Siege  of 
Rhodes,"  a  play  in  two  parts,  embellished  with  such  scenery 
and  decorations  as  had  never  been  before  exhibited  on  the 
boards  of  a  British  theatre.  The  parts  were  strongly  cast, 
and  this  drama,  assisted  by  its  splendid  appendages,  was 
represented  for  twelve  days,  successively,  with  unbounded 
approbation. 

At  this  period  Mr.  Betterton  first  assumed  the  part  of 
Hamlet,  deriving  considerable  advantage  from  the  hints  of 
Sir  William  D'Avenant,  to  whom  the  acting  of  Taylor 
[who  had  been  instructed  by  Shakespeare]  had  been  for 
merly  familiar.  Downes  expressly  declares  that  this  cha- 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  335 

racter  enhanced  Mr.  Betterton's  reputation  to  the  utmost, 
and  there  is  much  collateral  evidence  to  substantiate  its 
brilliant  superiority.1 

Mr.  Betterton  was  so  favourably  considered  by  Charles 
the  Second,  that, upon  his  performance  of  Alvaro,  in  "Love 
and  Honour,"  he  received  that  monarch's  coronation- suit 
for  the  character,  as  a  token  of  esteem.  Public  opinion 
kept  pace  with  his  efforts  to  secure  it,  and  by  evincing  un 
paralleled  talent  in  such  diversified  parts  as  Mercutio,  Sir 
Toby  Belch,  and  Henry  the  Eighth,  (the  last  of  which  was 
adopted  from  his  manager's  remembrance  of  Lowin)  he 
speedily  attained  to  that  eminence  in  his  art,  above  which 
no  human  exertion  can  probably  ascend. 

At  the  king's  especial  command,  it  has  been  asserted  by 
some  of  his  biographers  that  Mr.  Betterton  went  over  to 
Paris  to  take  a  view  of  the  French  stage,  and  suggest  such 
means  as  might  ensure  a  corresponding  improvement  upon 
our  own.  They  even  go  so  far  as  to  term  him  the  first  who 
publicly  introduced  our  moving  scenes,  though  Sir  William 
D'Avenant,  to  whom  that  honour  decidedly  belongs,  had 
attached  them,  less  perfectly,  perhaps,  in  1658,  to  his 
"  Cruelty  of  the  Spaniards  in  Peru." 

1  "  I  have  lately  been  told  by  a  Gentleman  who  has  frequently  seen 
Mr.  Betterton  perform  this  Part  of  Hamlet,  that  he  has  observ'd  his 
Countenance  (which  was  naturally  ruddy  and  sanguin)  in  this  Scene  of 
the  fourth  Act  where  his  Father's  Ghost  appears,  thro'  the  violent  and 
sudden  Emotions  of  Amazement  and  Horror,  turn  instantly  on  the 
Sight  of  his  Father's  Spirit,  as  pale  as  his  Neckcloath,  when  every 
Article  of  his  Body  seem'd  to  be  affected  with  a  Tremor  inexpressible  ; 
so  that,  had  his  Father's  Ghost  actually  risen  before  him  ;  he  could 
not  have  been  seized  with  more  real  Agonies  ;  and  this  was  felt  so 
strongly  by  the  Audience,  that  the  Blood  seemed  to  shudder  in  their 
Veins  likewise,  and  they  in  some  Measure  partook  of  the  Astonishment 
and  Horror,  with  which  they  saw  this  excellent  Actor  affected." — 
"Laureat,"  1740,  p.  31. 

"  I  have  seen  a  pamphlet,  written  above  forty  years  ago,  by  an 

intelligent  man,  who  greatly  extols  the  performance  of  Betterton  in 
this  last  scene,  commonly  called  the  closet  scene." — Davies's  "  Dra 
matic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.  p.  112,  ed.  1784. 


336  MEMOIRS   OF 

By  or  before  1663,  Mr.  Betterton  had  married  Mrs. 
Saunderson,  a  performer  in  the  same  company,  of  match 
less  merit  and  unsullied  virtue,  though  that  event,  by  the 
"  Biographia  Dramatica,"  and  other  incautious  compilations, 
is  referred  to  the  year  1670.  This  lady,  it  may  be  remarked, 
was  single,  while  denominated  mistress ;  the  appellation  of 
miss  not  being  made  familiar  to  the  middle  classes,  till 
after  the  commencement  of  the  ensuing  century. 

The  duke's  company,  notwithstanding  the  favour  and 
excellence  to  which  Betterton,  Harris,  Smith,  and  other 
members  were  admitted,  began  to  feel  its  want  of  attraction 
so  forcibly,  that  Sir  William  D'Avenant  was  induced  to  try 
the  effects  of  a  new  theatre,  which  was  accordingly  opened, 
with  unparalleled  magnificence,  in  Dorset-garden,  Salisbury- 
court,  notwithstanding  an  earnest  opposition  by  the  city  of 
London,  in  November,  1671.  Opinion,  however,  still  inclin 
ing  to  their  antagonists,  dramatic  operas  were  invented, 
and  soon  enabled  the  players  at  this  place  to  achieve 
a  triumph  over  merit  unassisted  by  such  expensive 
frivolity. 

At  the  death  of  D'Avenant,  on  the  I7th  of  April,  1668, 
Mr.  Betterton  succeeded  to  a  portion  of  the  management, 
and  so  great  was  the  estimation  in  which  both  he  and  his 
lady  were  held,  that  in  the  year  1675,  when  a  pastoral, 
called  "  Calisto ;  or,  the  Chaste  Nymph,"  written  by  Mr. 
Crown,  at  the  request  of  King  Charles's  consort,  was  to  be 
performed  at  court  by  persons  of  the  greatest  distinction, 
they  were  appointed  to  instruct  them  in  their  respective 
parts.  In  1682,  an  union  was  effected  with  the  rival  company, 
which  Mr.  Betterton  continued  to  direct,  till  Rich,  in  1690, 
obtained  possession  of  the  patent,  and  dispossessed  him  of 
importance  and  authority. 

Exasperated  by  ill  treatment,  Mr.  Betterton  confederated 
with  the  principal  performers  to  procure  an  independent 
license,  which  being  granted  by  King  William,  they  built 
a  new  theatre  in  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  by  subscription,  and 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  337 

opened  it  on  the  3<Dth  of  April,  1695,  with  Congreve's 
comedy  of  "  Love  for  Love." 

In  1705,  enfeebled  by  age  and  infirmity,  this  distinguished 
veteran  transferred  his  license  to  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  who 
erected  a  handsome  theatre  in  the  Haymarket,  at  which, 
divested  of  influence  or  control,  he  accepted  an  engagement 
as  an  actor. 

Mr.  Betterton's  salary  never  exceeded  eighty  shillings  a- 
week,  and  having  sustained  the  loss  of  more  than  ^"2,000, 
by  a  commercial  venture  to  the  East  Indies,  in  1692,  neces 
sity  compelled  him  to  pursue  his  professional  avocations. 
On  Thursday,  April  the  I3th,  I7O9,1  the  play  of  "  Love  for 
Love"  was  performed  for  his  benefit,  an  occasion  which 
summoned  Mrs.  Barry  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  from  their 
retirement,  to  aid  this  antient  coadjutor  by  the  resumption 
of  those  parts  they  had  originally  sustained.  Congreve  is 
said  to  have  furnished  a  prologue,  though  withdrawn  and 
never  submitted  to  print,  which  was  delivered  by  the  latter 
lady,  the  former  reciting  an  epilogue  from  the  pen  of  Rowe, 
which  remains  in  lasting  testimony  of  his  affectionate  re 
gard.  From  this  address  the  following  lines  are  worthy  of 
transcription  : 

But  since,  like  friends  to  wit,  thus  throng'd  you  meet, 
Go  on,  and  make  the  generous  work  complete  ; 
Be  true  to  merit,  and  still  own  his  cause, 
Find  something  for  him  more  than  bare  applause. 
In  just  remembrance  of  your  pleasures  past, 
Be  kind  and  give  him  a  discharge  at  last ; 
In  peace  and  ease  life's  remnant  let  him  wear, 
And  hang  his  consecrated  buskin  here. 

This  hint,  however,  proved  unavailing,  and  "  Old  Thomas  " 

1  In  Gildon's  "  Life,"  £c.,  1710,  there  is  a  copy  of  Rowe's  "  Epilogue," 
stated  to  have  been  spoken  by  Mrs.  Barry  "  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  in 
Drury-lane,  April  the  7th,"  and  this  mistaken  date  has  been  perpetuated 
by  the  "  Biographia  Dramatica."  [In  spite  of  this  contradiction  of 
Gildon  and  the  "Biographia  Dramatica,"  they  are  right,  and  Bell- 
chambers  is  wrong.  The  date  was  7th  April,  1709.] 


338  MEMOIRS    OF 

still  continued  to  labour,  when  permitted  by  intermissions 
of  disease,  for  that  subsistence  his  age  and  his  services 
should  long  before  have  secured. 

Mr.  Betterton  accordingly  performed  at  intervals  in  the 
course  of  the  ensuing  winter,  and  on  the  25th  of  April,  1710 
[should  be  I3th  April],  was  admitted  to  another  benefit, 
which,  with  the  patronage  bestowed  upon  its  predecessor, 
is  supposed  to  have  netted  nearly  .£1000.  Upon  this  occa 
sion,  he  was  announced  for  his  celebrated  part  QiMelantius, 
in  the  "  Maid's  Tragedy,"  from  the  performance  of  which 
he  ought,  however,  upon  strict  consideration,  to  have  been 
deterred ;  for  having  been  suddenly  seized  with  the  gout,  a 
determination  not  to  disappoint  the  expectancy  of  his 
friends,  induced  him  to  employ  a  repellatory  medicine, 
which  lessened  the  swelling  of  his  feet,  and  permitted  him 
to  walk  in  slippers.  He  acted,  accordingly,  with  peculiar 
spirit,  and  was  received  with  universal  applause  ;  but  such 
were  the  fatal  effects  of  his  laudable  anxiety,  that  the  dis 
temper  returned  with  unusual  violence,  ascended  to  his 
head,  and  terminated  his  existence,  in  three  days  from  the 
date  of  this  fatal  assumption.  On  the  2nd  of  May  his 
remains  were  deposited  with  much  form  in  the  cloisters  of 
Westminster-abbey. 

Mr.  Betterton  was  celebrated  for  polite  behaviour  to  the 
dramatic  writers  of  his  time,  and  distinguished  by  singular 
modesty,  in  not  presuming  to  understand  the  chief  points 
of  any  character  they  offered  him,  till  their  ideas  had  been 
asked,  and,  if  possible,  adopted.  He  is  also  praised  in  some 
verses  published  with  the  "  State  Poems,"  for  extending 
pecuniary  assistance  to  embarrassed  writers,  till  the  success 
of  a  doubtful  production  might  enable  them  to  remunerate 
their  generous  creditor.  Indeed,  Mr.  Betterton's  bene 
volence  was  coupled  with  such  magnanimity,  that  upon 
the  death  of  that  unhappy  friend  to  whose  counsels  his 
little  fortune  had  been  sacrificed,  he  took  charge  of  a  sur 
viving  daughter,  educated  her  at  considerable  expense,  and 


ACTORS    AND    ACTRESSES.  339 

not  only  made  her  an  accomplished  actress,  but  a  valuable 
woman.1 

Among  many  testimonies  of  deference  to  his  judgment, 
and  regard  for  his  zeal,  the  tributes  of  Dryden  and  Rowe 
have  been  brilliantly  recorded.  He  was  naturally  of  a 
cheerful  temper,  with  a  pious  reliance  upon  the  dispensa 
tions  of  providence,  and  nothing  can  yield  a  higher  idea  of 
his  great  affability,  than  the  effect  his  behaviour  produced 
upon  Pope,  who  must  have  been  a  mere  boy,  when  first 
admitted  to  his  society.  He  sat  to  the  poet  for  his  picture, 
which  Pope  painted  in  oil,2  and  so  eager  was  the  bard  to 
perpetuate  his  memory,  that  he  published  a  modernization 
of  Chaucer's  "Prologues,"  in  this  venerable  favourite's  name, 
though  palpably  the  produce  of  his  own  elegant  pen.3  As 
an  author,  Mr.  Betterton's  labours  were  confined  to  the 
drama,  and  if  his  original  pieces  are  not  entitled  to  much 
praise,  his  alterations  exhibit  some  judicious  amendments. 

EDWARD  KYNASTON. 

Edward  Kynaston  made  his  first  appearance  in  1659,  at 
the  "  Cockpit "  in  Drury-lane,  under  the  management  of 
Rhodes,  to  whom,  in  his  trade  of  bookselling,  he  had  pre 
viously  been  apprenticed.  Here  he  took  the  lead  in  per 
sonating  female  parts,  among  which  he  sustained  Calls,  in 
the  "  Mad  Lover;"  Jsmenia,  in  the  "  Maid  in  the  Mill;"  the 

1  This  lady,  who  was  remarkably  handsome,  married  Boman,  the 
actor. 

2  This  curiosity,  I  believe,  is  still  preserved  in  the  Earl  of  Mansfield's 
mansion,  at  Caen-wood. 

3  Pope,  in  the  postscript  of  a  letter  to  Cromwell,  writes  thus  : — 

" This  letter  of  death  puts  me  in  mind  of  poor  Betterton's,  over 

whom  I  would  have  this  sentence  of  Tully  for  an  epitaph,  which  will 
serve  for  his  moral  as  well  as  his  theatrical  capacity  : 

*  Vita  bene  actce  jucundissima  est  recordatio?  " 

In  another  part  of  his  correspondence,  he  intimates  that  Betterton's 
"  remains  "  had  been  taken  care  of,  alluding,  I  suppose,  to  this  post 
humous  forgery. 

II.  Y 


340  MEMOIRS    OF 

heroine  of  Sir  John  Suckling's  "  Aglaura  ;  "  Arthiope,  in  the 
"  Unfortunate  Lovers  ;  "  and  Evadne,  in  the  "  Maid's  Tra 
gedy."  The  three  last  of  these  parts  have  been  distin 
guished  by  Downes  and  our  author  as  the  best  of  his  efforts, 
and  being  then  but  a  "  mannish  youth,"  he  made  a  suitable 
representative  of  feminine  beauty.  Kynaston's/^rfc,  at  this 
period,  appears  to  have  consisted  in  moving  compassion 
and  pity,  "  in  which,"  says  old  Downes,  "  it  has  since  been 
disputable  among  the  judicious,  whether  any  woman  that 
succeeded  him  so  sensibly  touched  the  audience  as  he." 

At  the  Restoration,  when  his  majesty's  servants  re-opened 
the  "  Red  Bull "  playhouse,  in  St.  John-street,  next  shifted 
to  Gibbons's  tennis-court,  in  Clare-market,  and  finally 
settled,  in  1663,  at  their  new  theatre  in  Drury-lane,Kynaston 
was  admitted  to  their  ranks,  and  played  Peregrine,  in  Jon- 
son's  comedy  of  the  "Fox."  He  also  held  Sir  Dmipkine,  a 
minor  personage,  in  the  same  author's  "  Silent  Woman,"  and 
soon  after  succeeded  to  Otto,  in  the  "  Duke  of  Normandy," 
a  part  which  was  followed  by  others  of  variety  and  impor 
tance. 

In  derogation  of  Gibber's  panegyric,  we  are  assured  by 
Davies,  upon  the  authority  of  some  old  comedians,  that,  from 
his  juvenile  familiarity  with  female  characters,  Kynaston 
contracted  some  disagreeable  tones  in  speaking,  which  re 
sembled  the  whine  or  cant  that  genuine  taste  has  at  all 
times  been  impelled  to  explode.  When  George  Powel  was 
once  discharging  the  intemperance  of  a  recent  debauch  from 
his  stomach,  Kynaston  asked  him  if  he  still  felt  sick.  "How 
is  it  possible  to  be  otherwise,"  said  Powel,  "  when  I  hear 
you  speak  ? "  Much  as  Kynaston,  however,  might  have 
been  affected  by  the  peculiarities  of  early  practice,  we  can 
not  consent,  upon  evidence  such  as  this,  to  rob  him  of  the 
laurels  that  have  sprung  from  respectable  testimony. 

In  1695  he  followed  the  fortunes  of  Betterton  to  Lincoln's- 
inn-fields,  and  supported  a  considerable  character  in  John 
Banks's  "  Cyrus  the  Great,"  produced  the  year  after  this 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  341 

removal.  The  time  of  his  retirement  is  not  known,  but  it 
appears  from  our  author  that  he  continued  upon  the  stage 
till  his  memory  and  spirit  both  began  to  fail  him.  He  had 
left  it,  however,  before  1706,  when  Betterton  and  Underhill 
have  been  specified  by  Downes,  as  "  being  the  only  remains 
of  the  Duke  of  York's  servants,"  at  that  time  before  the 
public.  Kynaston  died  wealthy,  and  was  buried  in  the 
church-yard  of  St.  Paul's,  Covent-garden. 

Kynaston  bore  a  great  resemblance  to  the  noted  Sir 
Charles  Sidley,  a  similitude  of  which  he  was  so  proud,  that 
he  endeavoured  to  display  it  by  the  most  particular  expe 
dients.  On  one  occasion,  he  got  a  suit  of  laced  clothes 
made  in  imitation  of  the  baronet's,  and  appearing  publicly 
in  it,  Sir  Charles,  whose  wit  very  seldom  atoned  for  his  ill- 
nature,  punished  this  vain  propensity  in  his  usual  mis 
chievous  manner.  He  hired  a  bravo  to  accost  Kynaston 
in  the  Park,  one  day  when  he  wore  his  finery,  pick  a  quarrel 
with  him  on  account  of  a  pretended  affront  from  his  proto 
type,  and  beat  him  unmercifully.  This  scheme  was  duly 
put  in  practice,  and  though  Kynaston  protested  that  he 
was  not  the  person  his  antagonist  took  him  for,  the  ruffian 
redoubled  his  blows,  on  account  of  what  he  affected  to  con 
sider  his  scandalous  falsehood.  When  Sir  Charles  Sidley 
was  remonstrated  with  upon  the  cruelty  of  this  transaction, 
he  told  the  actor's  friends  that  their  pity  was  misplaced,  for 
that  Kynaston  had  not  suffered  so  much  in  his  bones  as  he 
had  in  his  character,  the  whole  town  believing  that  it  was 
he  who  had  undergone  the  disgrace  of  this  chastisement. 

WILLIAM  MOUNTFORT. 

William  Mountfort,  according  to  Gibber's  estimate,  was 
born  in  1660,  and  having,  I  suppose,  joined  the  king's  com 
pany  at  a  very  early  age,  about  the  year  1682,  "grew,"  in 
the  words  of  old  Downes,  "to  the  maturity  of  a  good  actor." 
At  Drury-lane  theatre,  he  sustained  Alfonso  Cor  so >  in  the 
"  Duke  of  Guise,"  in  1682.  His  rise  was  so  rapid,  that  in  1685 


342  MEMOIRS    OF 

we  find  him  selected  for  the  hero  of  Crowne's  "  Sir  Courtly 
Nice,"  "which,"  says  Downes,  "was  so  nicely  performed,"  that 
none  of  his  successors,  but  Colley  Gibber,  could  equal  him. 
Perhaps  the  last  new  character  assumed  by  Mountfort  was 
Cleanthes,  in  Dryden's  "  Cleomenes,"  a  play  to  which  he 
spoke  the  prologue. 

I  here  present  the  reader  with  a  narrative  of  those  cir 
cumstances  attending  the  death  of  Mountfort,  which  have 
so  long  been  misunderstood  and  misrepresented. 

A  Captain  Richard  Hill  had  made  proposals  of  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  which  were  declined  from  what  Hill 
appeared  to  consider  an  injurious  preference  for  Mountfort, 
between  whom,  though  a  married  man,  and  the  lady,  at 
least  a  platonic  attachment  was  often  thought  to  subsist. 
Enraged  at  Mountfort's  superior  success,  and  affecting  to 
treat  him  as  the  only  obstacle  to  his  wishes,  Hill  expressed 
a  determination  at  various  times,  and  before  several 
persons,  to  be  revenged  upon  him,  and  as  it  was  proved 
upon  the  trial,  coupled  this  threat  with  some  of  the  bitterest 
invectives  that  could  spring  from  brutal  animosity.  Among 
Hill's  associates  was  Lord  Mohun,  a  peer  of  very  dissolute 
manners,  whose  extreme  youth  afforded  but  a  faint  pallia 
tive  for  his  participation  in  the  act  of  violence  and  de 
bauchery  to  which  Hill  resorted.  This  nobleman,  however, 
who  seems  to  have  felt  a  chivalric  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  his  friend,  engaged  with  Hill  in  a  cruel  and  perfidious 
scheme  for  the  abduction  of  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  whom  Hill 
proposed  to  carry  off,  violate,  and  afterwards  marry.  They 
arranged  with  one  Dixon,  an  owner  of  hackney  carriages, 
to  provide  a  coach  and  six  horses  to  take  them  to  Tot- 
teridge,  and  appointed  him  to  wait  with  this  conveyance 
over  against  the  Horse-shoe  tavern  in  Drury-lane.  A 
small  party  of  soldiers  was  also  hired  to  assist  in  this 
notable  exploit,  and  as  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  who  had  been 
supping  at  a  Mr.  Page's  in  Prince's-street,  was  going 
down  Drury-lane  towards  her  lodgings  in  Howard-street, 


ACTORS    AND    ACTRESSES.  343 

Strand,  .about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  on  Friday  the  gib.  of 
December,  1692,  two  of  these  soldiers  pulled  her  away 
from  Mr.  Page,  who  was  attending  her  home,  nearly 
knocked  her  mother  down,  and  tried  to  lift  her  into  the 
vehicle.  Her  mother,  upon  whom  the  blow  given  by  these 
ruffians  had  providentially  made  but  a  short  impression, 
hung  very  obstinately  about  her  neck,  and  prevented  the 
success  of  their  endeavours.  While  Mr.  Page  was  calling 
loudly  for  assistance,  Hill  ran  at  him  with  his  sword  drawn, 
and  again  endeavoured  to  get  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  into  the 
coach,  a  task  he  was  hindered  from  accomplishing,  by  the 
alarm  that  Page  had  successfully  given.  Company  came 
up,  on  which  Hill  insisted  on  seeing  Mrs.  Bracegirdle 
home,  and  actually  led  her  by  the  hand  to  the  house  in 
which  she  resided.  Lord  Mohun,  who  during  this  scuffle 
was  seated  quietly  in  the  coach,  joined  Hill  in  Howard- 
street,  the  soldiers  having  been  previously  dismissed,  and 
there  they  paraded,  with  their  swords  drawn,  for  about  an 
hour  and  a  half,  before  Mrs.  Bracegirdle's  door.  Hill's 
scabbard,  it  ought  to  be  remarked,  was  clearly  proved  to 
have  been  lost  during  the  scuffle  in  Drury-lane,  and  Lord 
Mohun,  when  challenged  by  the  watch,  not  only  sheathed 
his  weapon,  but  offered  to  surrender  it.  These  were  strong 
points  at  least  in  his  lordship's  favour,  and  deserve  to  be 
noted,  because  the  prescriptive  assertion  that  Mountfort 
was  treacherously  killed,  is  weakened  by  the  establishment 
of  those  facts.  Mrs.  Brown,  the  mistress  of  the  house 
where  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  lodged,  went  out  on  her  arrival, 
to  expostulate  with  Lord  Mohun  and  his  confederate,  and 
after  exchanging  a  few  words  of  no  particular  importance, 
dispatched  her  maid  servant  to  Mountfort's  house,1  hard  by 
in  Norfolk-street,  to  apprise  Mrs.  Mountfort  of  the  danger 
to  which,  in  case  of  coming  home,  he  would  be  subjected. 
Mrs.  Mountfort  sent  in  search  of  her  husband,  but  without 

1  Mrs.  Brown  swore  she  went  herself,  but  appears  to  have  been 
mistaken. 


344  MEMOIRS    OF 

success,  and  the  watch  on  going  their  round,  between  eleven 
and  twelve  o'clock,  found  Lord  Mohun  and  Hill  drinking 
wine  in  the  street,  a  drawer  having  brought  it  from  an 
adjacent  tavern.  At  this  juncture  Mrs.  Brown,  the  landlady, 
hearing  the  voices  of  the  watch,  went  to  the  door  with  a  de 
sign  of  directing  them  to  secure  both  Lord  Mohun  and  Hill, 
and  some  conversation  passed  upon  that  subject,  although 
her  directions  were  not  obeyed.  Seeing  Mountfort,  just 
as  he  had  turned  the  corner  into  Howard-street,  and  was 
apparently  coming  towards  her  house,  Mrs.  Brown  hurried 
out  to  meet  him,  and  mention  his  danger,  but  he  would  not 
stop,  so  as  to  allow  her  time  for  the  slightest  communica 
tion.  On  gaining  the  spot  where  Lord  Mohun  stood,  Hill 
being  a  little  farther  off,  he  saluted  his  lordship  with  great 
respect,  and  was  received  by  him  with  unequivocal  kind 
ness.  Lord  Mohun  hinted  to  Mountfort  that  he  had  been 
sent  for  by  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  in  consequence  of  her  projected 
seizure,  a  charge  which  Mountfort  immediately  denied. 
Lord  Mohun  then  touched  upon  the  affair,  and  Mountfort 
expressed  a  hope,  with  some  warmth,  that  he  would  not 
vindicate  Hill's  share  in  the  business,  against  which,  while 
disclaiming  any  tenderness  for  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  he  pro 
tested  with  much  asperity.  Hill  approached  in  time  to 
catch  the  substance  of  Mountfort's  remark,  and  having 
hastily  said  that  he  could  vindicate  himself,  gave  him  a 
blow  on  the  ear,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  challenge  to 
fight.  They  both  went  from  the  pavement  into  the  middle 
of  the  road,  and  after  making  two  or  three  passes  at  each 
other,  Mountfort  was  mortally  wounded.  He  threw  down 
his  sword,  which  broke  by  the  fall,  and  staggered  to  his 
own  house,  where  Mrs.  Page,  who  had  gone  to  concert  with 
Mrs.  Mountfort  for  her  husband's  safety,  hearing  a  cry  of 
"  murder"  in  the  street,  threw  open  the  door,  and  received 
him  pale,  bleeding,  and  exhausted,  in  her  arms.  Hill  fled 
and  escaped,  but  Lord  Mohun,  having  surrendered  himself, 
was  arraigned  before  parliament  as  an  accomplice,  on  the 
3  ist  of  January,  1693,  an^,  after  a  laborious,  patient,  pro- 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  345 

tracted,  and  impartial  trial,  acquitted  of  the  crime,  in  which 
he  certainly  bore  no  conspicuous  part.  Mountfort  lan 
guished  till  noon  the  next  day,  and  solemnly  declared,  at 
the  very  point  of  death,  that  Hill  stabbed  him  with  one 
hand  while  he  struck  him  with  the  other,  Lord  Mohun 
holding  him  in  conversation  when  the  murder  was  com 
mitted.  From  the  fact,  however,  of  Mountfort's  sword 
being  taken  up  unsheathed  and  broken,  there  is  no 
doubt,  without  insisting  upon  the  testimony  to  that  effect, 
that  he  used  it ;  and  that  he  could  have  used  it  after 
receiving  the  desperate  wound  of  which  he  died,  does  not 
appear,  by  his  flight  and  exhaustion,  to  have  been  possible. 
Some  of  his  fellow-players,  it  seems,  had  sifted  the  evi 
dence  of  a  material  witness,  the  day  after  his  death,  and  at 
this  evidence  they  openly  expressed  their  dissatisfaction. 
Mountfort,  it  was  indisputably  shown,  too,  went  out  of  the 
ivay  to  his  own  house,  in  going  down  Howard-street  at  all, 
as  he  ought  to  have  crossed  it,  his  door  being  the  second 
from  the  south-west  corner.  These  circumstances  will 
perhaps  support  a  conjecture  that  some  part  of  the  odium 
heaped  upon  Lord  Mohun  and  Hill  has  proceeded  from  the 
cowardice  and  exasperation  of  a  timid  and  vindictive  fra 
ternity,  coupled  with  the  individual  artifices  of  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle,  to  redeem  a  character  which  the  real  circumstances 
of  Mountfort's  death,  dying  as  her  champion,  severely 
affected.  Gibber's  assurance  of  her  purity,  may  merely  prove 
the  extent  of  his  dulness  or  dissimulation,  for  on  calmly 
reviewing  this  case  in  all  its  aspects,  chequered  as  it  is  by 
Hill's  impetuosity,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle's  lewdness,  and  Mount- 
fort's  presumption,  I  cannot  help  inferring  that  he  fell  a 
victim,  not  unfairly,  to  one  of  those  casual  encounters  which 
mark  the  general  violence  of  the  times.  The  record  of  his 
murder  is  therefore  erroneous,  and  we  may  hope  to  see  it 
amended  in  every  future  collection  of  theatrical  lives.1 

1  Bellchambers  seems  to  have  had  a  craze  on  the  subject  of  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle's  character,  which  he  vilifies  on  every  possible  opportunity. 
His  opinion  here  appears  to  me  very  questionable. 


346  MEMOIRS    OF 

SAMUEL  SANDFORD. 

Samuel  Sandford  made  his  first  appearance  upon  the 
stage,  under  D'Avenant's  authority,  in  the  year  1663,'  at 
the  time  when  that  company  was  strengthened  by  the 
accession  of  Smith  and  Matthew  Medbourn.  The  first  part 
for  which  he  has  been  mentioned  by  Downes,  is  Sampson, 
in  "Romeo  and  Juliet;"  he  soon  after  sustained  a  minor 
part  in  the  "Adventures  of  Five  Hours,"  fol.  1663;  and 
when  D'Avenant  produced  his  comedy  of  the  "  Man's 
the  Master,"  he  and  Harris  sung  an  eccentric  epilogue  in 
the  character  of  two  street  ballad-singers.  Sandford  was 
the  original  Foresight ',  in  "  Love  for  Love,"  and  though  Mr. 
Gibber  has  exclusively  insisted  upon  his  tragic  excellence, 
he  must  have  been  a  comedian  of  strong  and  diversified 
humour.  When  Betterton  and  his  associates  seceded  to 
the  new  theatre  in  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  he  refused  to  join 
them  as  a  sharer,  but  was  engaged  at  a  salary  of  three 
pounds  per  week.  As  Sandford  is  not  enumerated  by 
Downes  among  the  actors  transferred  to  Swiney,  in  the  latter 
end  of  1706,  when  Betterton  and  Underbill,  indeed,  are 
mentioned  as  "the  only  remains"  of  the  duke's  company, 
it  is  clear  he  must  have  died  during  the  previous  six  years, 
having  been  referred  to  by  Gibber,  as  exercising  his  profes 
sion  in  1700.  His  ancestors  were  long  and  respectably 
settled  at  Sandford,  a  village  in  Shropshire  ;  and  he  seems 
to  have  prided  himself,  absurdly,  upon  the  superiority  of 
his  birth. 

JAMES  NOKES. 

James  Nokes  formed  part  of  the  company  collected  at 
the  "  Cockpit,"  in  1659,  and  is  first  mentioned  by  Downes 
for  Norfolk,  in  "King  Henry  the  Eighth,"  some  time  after 
D'Avenant's  opening  in  Lincoln's-inn-fields.  Upon  this 
assumption  Mr.  Davies  has  expressed  a  very  reasonable 

1  Sandford  played  Worm  in  "The  Cutter  of  Coleman  Street"  as 
early  as  1661.  (L.) 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  347 

doubt,  and  conjectured,  with  much  plausibility,  that  it  was 
sustained  by  Robert  Nokes. 

In  Cowley's  "Cutter  of  Coleman-street "  [i66i],the  part 
of  Puny  was  allotted  to  Nokes,  whose  reputation  at  that 
period  appears  to  have  been  but  feebly  established,  as  the 
more  important  comic  characters  were  intrusted  to  Lovel 
and  Underbill.  We  find  the  name  of  Nokes  affixed  to 
Lovis,  in  Etherege's  "  Comical  Revenge,"  1664,  but  his  per 
formance  of  that  part,  whatever  merit  it  might  have 
evinced,  acquired  no  distinction.  [This  is  wrong;  Nokes 
played  Sir  Nicholas  Cully  :  the  part  of  Lovis  was  acted  by 
Norris.]  The  plague  then  beginning  to  rage,  theatrical 
exhibitions  were  suspended,  in  May,  1665,  and  the  company 
ceased  to  act,  on  account  of  the  great  fire,  till  [about] 
Christmas,  1666,  when  their  occupation  was  resumed  in 
Lincoln's-inn-fields,  and  Lord  Orrery  produced  his  play 
of  "  Mr.  Antony."  In  this  piece  there  was  an  odd  sort  of 
duel  between  Nokes  and  Angel,  in  which  one  was  armed 
with  a  blunderbuss,  and  the  other  with  a  bow  and  arrow. 
Though  this  frivolous  incident  procured  Nokes  some  acces 
sion  of  public  notice,  it  was  Dryden's  "  Sir  Martin  Mar-all," 
[1667,]  which  developed  his  powers  to  their  fullest  extent, 
and  raised  him  to  the  highest  pitch  of  popularity. 

According  to  Downes,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  gave  a 
literal  translation  of  Moliere's  "  Etourdi "  to  Dryden,  who 
adapted  the  part  of  Sir  Martin  Mar-all  "purposely  for  the 
mouth  of  Mr.  Nokes;"  and  the  old  prompter  has  cor 
roborated  Mr.  Gibber's  assertion  of  his  success.  Nokes 
added  largely  to  his  reputation,  in  [1668],  by  performing 
Sir  Oliver,  in  "  She  would  if  she  could  ;"  and  strengthened 
Shadwell's  "  Sullen  Lovers,"  by  accepting  the  part  of  Poet 
Ninny. 

Nokes  acted  Barnaby  Brittle  at  the  original  appearance 
— about  1670— of  Betterton's  "Amorous  Widow,"  and  [in 
1671]  performed  Oldjorden,\n  Ravenscroft's  "Citizen  turned 
Gentleman,"  a  part  which  the  king  and  court  were  said  to 


348  MEMOIRS    OF 

have  been  more  delighted  with  than  any  other,  except  Sir 
Martin  Mar-all.  His  Nurse,  in  "  Caius  Marius,"  1680, 
excited  such  uncommon  merriment,  that  he  carried  the 
name  of  Nurse  Nokes  to  his  grave.  In  1688,  he  supported 
the  hero  of  Shadwell's  "  'Squire  of  Alsatia,"  a  play  which 
was  acted  in  every  part  with  remarkable  excellence,  and 
enjoyed  the  greatest  popularity.  We  find  no  farther 
mention  of  him,  subsequent  to  this  period,  though  included 
by  Gibber  among  those  who  were  performing  under  the 
united  patents,  in  1690,  when  he  first  came  into  the  com 
pany.  According  to  Brown,  who  has  peculiarly  marked 
out  his  "  gaiety  and  openness  "  upon  the  stage,  he  kept  a 
"  nicknackatory,  or  toy-shop,"  opposite  the  spot  which  has 
since  received  the  denomination  of  Exeter  Change.  The 
date  of  his  death  is  uncertain,  but  there  is  some  reason  to 
presume  that  it  happened  about  the  year  I6Q2.1 


WILLIAM  PINKETHMAN. 

The  first  mention  of  Pinkethman,  by  Downes,  is  for  the 
part  of  Ralph,  in  "  Sir  Salomon,"  when  commanded  at 
court,  in  the  beginning  of  [1704],  but  he  had  been  alluded  to, 
two  years  before,  in  Gildon's  "Comparison  between  the 
Two  Stages,"  as  the  "  flower  of  Bartholomew-fair,  and  the 
idol  of  the  rabble.  A  fellow  that  overdoes  every  thing,  and 
spoils  many  a  part  with  his  own  stuff."  [He  was  on  the 
stage  as  early  as  1692.]  He  is  again  mentioned  in  the 
"  Roscius  Anglicanus  "  for  Dr.  Caius,  in  the  "  Merry  Wives 
of  Windsor,"  and  continued  to  act  in  the  Drury-lane  com 
pany  till  his  death,  about  the  year  1725. 

Pinkethman  was  a  serviceable  actor,  notwithstanding  his 
irregularities,  and  performed  many  characters  of  great  im 
portance.  He  was  the  original  Don  Lewis,  in  "Love  makes 
a  Man,"  1701,  a  proof  that  his  talents  were  soon  and  greatly 

1  Gibber  says  that  Nokes,  Mountfort,  and  Leigh,  "died  about  the 
same  year,"  viz.  1692 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  349 

appreciated.  His  eccentric  turn  led  him,  in  too  many 
instances,  from  the  sphere  of  respectability,  and  we  find 
him  in  the  constant  habit  of  frequenting  fairs,  for  the  low 
purpose  of  theatrical  exhibition.  His  stage  talents  were 
marred,  it  is  true,  by  an  extravagant  habit  of  saying  more 
than  had  been  "  set  down "  for  him  ;  and  though  this 
abominable  blemish  is  fully  admitted,  still  its  toleration 
proves  that  Pinkethman  must  have  been  an  actor  of  un 
common  value.  His  son  was  a  comedian  of  merit,  who 
played  Waitwell,  in  the  "Way  of  the  World,"  at  the 
opening  of  Covent-garden  theatre,  in  December,  1732,  and 
died  in  May,  1740. 


ANTHONY  LEIGH. 

The  "famous  Mr.  Ant  .my  Leigh,"  as  Downes  denominates 
him,  came  into  the  duke's  company,  about  the  year  [1672], 
upon  the  deaths  of  several  eminent  actors,  whose  places  he 
and  others  were  admitted  to  supply.  He  played  Bellair, 
sen.,  in  Etherege's  "  Man  of  Mode,"  at  its  production  in 
1676.  In  1 68 1,  Leigh  supported  Father  Dominic,  in 
Dryden's  "Spanish  Friar;"  a  piece,  which,  according  to  the 
"  Roscius  Anglicanus,"  was  "  admirably  acted,  and  pro 
duced  vast  profit  to  the  company."  Leigh's  success  was  so 
great  in  this  character,  that  a  full-length  portrait  was  taken 
of  him  in  his  clerical  habit,  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  for  the 
Earl  of  Dorset,  from  which  a  good  mezzotinto  engraving  is 
now  in  the  hands  of  theatrical  collectors.  In  1685,  we  find 
him  allotted  to  Sir  Nicholas  Calico,  in  "  Sir  Courtly  Nice  ; " 
in  1688  he  supported  Sir  William  Bclfond,  in  Shad  well's 
"  Squire  of  Alsatia,"  and  these  parts,  with  a  few  others, 
appear  to  have  constituted  his  peculiar  excellence. 

The  satirical  allusions  of  such  a  random  genius  as  Brown, 
are  rarely  to  be  relied  upon,  or  we  might  suspect  Leigh, 
from  the  following  extract,  to  have  been  distinguished  by 
pious  hypocrisy  : — 


35O  MEMOIRS    OF 

"  At  last,  my  friend  Nokes,  pointing  to  a  little  edifice, 
which  exactly  resembles  Dr.  Burgess's  conventicle  in 
Russel-court,  says  he,  'your  old  acquaintance  Tony  Leigh, 
who  turned  presbyterian  parson  upon  his  coming  into 
these  quarters,  holds  forth  most  notably  here  every 
Sunday.'  " — "Letters  from  the  Dead  to  the  Living"  [1744, 
ii.  77]. 

CAVE  UNDERBILL. 

Cave  Underhill  was  a  member  of  the  company  collected 
by  Rhodes,  and  which,  soon  afterwards,  submitted  to  the 
authority  of  Sir  William  D'Avenant.  He  is  first  mentioned 
by  Downes,  for  his  performance  of  Sir  Morglay  Thwack,  in 
the  "  Wits,"  after  which  he  sustained  the  Grave-digger ;  in 
"  Hamlet,"  and  soon  testified  such  ability,  that  the  manager 
publicly  termed  him  "the  truest  comedian"  at  that  time 
upon  his  stage.1  Underhill,  about  this  time,  strengthened 
the  cast  of  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  by  playing  Gregory,  and 
though  the  custom  of  devoting  the  best  talent  which  the 
theatres  afford,  to  parts  of  minor  importance,  has  ceased,  it 
is  a  practice  to  which  the  managers,  were  public  amuse 
ment  consulted,  might  safely  recur.  In  Shakspeare's 
"  Twelfth  Night,"  which,  says  Downes,  "  had  mighty  success 
by  its  well  performance,"  Underhill  soon  after  supported  the 
Clown,  a  character  in  which  the  latter  attributes  delineated 
by  Cibber,  could  alone  have  been  employed.  Underbill's 
reputation  appears  to  have  been  speedily  established,  as  we 
find  him  intrusted  by  Cowley,  in  [1661],  with  the  hero  of  his 
"Cutter  of  Coleman-street ; "  and  he  is  mentioned  by 
Downes  for  especial  excellence  in  performing  Jodelet,  in 
D'Avenant's  "  Man's  the  Master."  His  first  new  part  after 
the  accession  of  James,  was  Hothead,  in  "Sir  Courtly  Nice ;" 
on  the  3<Dth  of  April,  1695,  he  distinguished  himself  by  his 
chaste  and  spirited  performance  of  Sir  Sampson  Legend,  in 

1  "  Roscius  Anglicanus." 


ACTORS   AND    ACTRESSES.  351 

Congreve's  "  Love  for  Love,"  and  in  1700,  closed  a  long, 
arduous,  and  popular  career  of  original  parts,  by  playing 
Sir  Wilful  Witwou'd,  in  the  "Way  of  the  World."  [He 
continued  on  the  stage  till  1710.] 

A  brief  account  of  this  valuable  comedian  has  been 
furnished  by  Mr.  Davies,  which,  for  the  satisfaction  of  our 
readers,  we  shall  proceed  to  transcribe. 

"  Underhill  was  a  jolly  and  droll  companion,  who,  if  we 
may  believe  such  historians  as  Tom  Brown,  divided  his  gay 
hours  between  Bacchus  and  Venus,  with  no  little  ardour. 
Tom,  I  think,  makes  Underhill  one  of  the  gill-drinkers  of 
his  time;  men  who  resorted  to  taverns,  in  the  middle  of  the 
day,  under  pretence  of  drinking  Bristol  milk,  (for  so  good 
sherry  was  then  called)  to  whet  their  appetites,  where  they 
indulged  themselves  too  often  in  ebriety.  Underhill  acted 
till  he  was  past  eighty.  He  was  so  excellent  in  the  part  of 
Trinculo,  in  the  Tempest,  that  he  was  called  Prince  Trin- 
culo.1  He  had  an  admirable  vein  of  pleasantry,  and  told 
his  lively  stories,  says  Brown,  with  a  bewitching  smile. 
The  same  author  says,  he  was  so  afflicted  with  the  gout, 
that  he  prayed  one  minute  and  cursed  the  other.  His 
shambling  gait,  in  his  old  age,  was  no  hindrance  to  his 
acting  particular  parts.  He  retired  from  the  theatre  in 
1703." — "Dram.  Misc.,"  iii.  138. 

On  the  3 ist  of  May,  1709,  Underhill  applied  fora  benefit, 
and  procured  it,  upon  which  occasion  he  played  his 
favourite  part  of  the  Grave-digger,  and  received  the  follow 
ing  cordial  recommendation  from  Sir  Richard  Steele : — 

"  My  chief  business  here  [Will's  Coffee  House]  this 
evening,  was  to  speak  to  my  friends  in  behalf  of  honest 
Cave  Underhill,  who  has  been  a  comic  for  three  generations ; 
my  father  admired  him  extremely  when  he  was  a  boy.  There 
is  certainly  nature  excellently  represented  in  his  manner  of 
action  ;  in  which  he  ever  avoided  that  general  fault  in 

1  I  find,  on  looking  over  the  "  Roscius  Anglicanus,"  that  Trinculo 
is  termed  Duke  Trinculo,  in  a  short  reference  to  the  "  Tempest." 


352  MEMOIRS    OF 

players,  of  doing  too  much.  It  must  be  confessed,  he  has 
not  the  merit  of  some  ingenious  persons  now  on  the  stage, 
of  adding  to  his  authors ;  for  the  actors  were  so  dull  in  the 
last  age,  that  many  of  them  have  gone  out  of  the  world, 
without  having  ever  spoken  one  word  of  their  own  in  the 
theatre.  Poor  Cave  is  so  mortified,  that  he  quibbles  and  tells 
you,  he  pretends  only  to  act  a  part  fit  for  a  man  who  has 
one  foot  in  the  grave ;  viz.  a  Grave-digger.  All  admirers  of 
true  comedy,  it  is  hoped,  will  have  the  gratitude  to  be 
present  on  the  last  day  of  his  acting,  who,  if  he  does  not 
happen  to  please  them,  will  have  it  then  to  say,  that  it  is 
the  first  time."—"  Tatler,"  No.  22. 


GEORGE  POWELL. 

The  father  of  George  Powell  was  an  actor  in  the  king's 
company  at  the  time  of  its  junction,  in  1682,  with  the 
duke's.  Powell's  access  to  the  theatre  was,  therefore,  easy  ; 
and  we  are  intitled  to  suspect,  though  the  time  is  not  to 
be  ascertained,  that  he  began  to  act  at  a  very  early  period. 

Even,  according  to  Gibber's  allowance,  when  Powell  was 
appointed  to  the  principal  parts  abandoned  by  Betterton 
and  his  revolters,  they  were  parts  for  which,  whether  serious 
or  comic,  he  had  both  elocution  and  humour.  It  is  re 
marked  by  Davies,1  that  Gibber  "  seems  to  have  hated 
Powell,"  and  if  so,  we  have  a  ready  clue  to  the  neglect  and 
asperity  with  which  he  has  treated  him. 

Powell  succeeded  Betterton,  it  is  supposed,  in  the  part 
of  Hotspur,  when  that  excellent  comedian  exchanged  its 
choleric  attributes,  in  his  declining  years,  for  the  gaiety 
and  humour  of  Fahtaff.  Edgar,  in  "  King  Lear,"  was  also 
one  of  his  most  successful  characters,  but  of  this,  owing  to 
his  irregularities,  he  was  dispossessed  by  Wilks.  To  such 
a  height,  indeed,  was  the  intemperance  of  this  actor  carried, 

1  "  Dramatit  Miscellanies,"  vol.  ii.  p.  323. 


ACTORS    AND  ACTRESSES.  353 

that  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  in  his  preface  to  the  "  Relapse," 
4to,  1697,  speaking  of  Powell's  Worthy,  has  exposed  it  in 
following  manner : 

One  word  more  about  the  bawdy,  and  I  have  done.  I  own  the  first 
night  this  thing  was  acted,  some  indecencies  had  like  to  have  happened ; 
but  it  was  not  my  fault.  The  fine  gentleman  of  the  play,  drinking  his 
mistress's  health  in  Nantes  brandy,  from  six  in  the  morning  to  the  time 
he  waddled  on  upon  the  stage  in  the  evening,  had  toasted  himself  up 
to  such  a  pitch  of  vigour,  I  confess  I  once  gave  up  Amanda  for  gone, 
and  am  since,  with  all  due  respect  to  Mrs.  Rogers,  very  sorry  she 
escaped  :  for  I  am  confident  a  certain  lady,  (let  no  one  take  it  to  her 
self  that  is  handsome)  who  highly  blames  the  play,  for  the  barrenness 
of  the  conclusion,  would  then  have  allowed  it  a  very  natural  close. 

To  the  folly  of  intoxication  he  added  the  horrors  of  debt, 
and  was  so  hunted  by  the  Sheriffs'  officers,  that  he  usually 
walked  the  streets  with  a  sword  (sheathed)  in  his  hand,  and 
if  he  saw  any  of  them  at  a  distance,  he  would  roar  out, 
"  Get  on  the  other  side  of  the  way,  you  dog  !"  The  bailiff, 
who  knew  his  old  customer,  would  obligingly  answer,  "  We 
do  not  want  you  now,  Master  Powell."  Harassed  by  his 
distresses,  and  unnerved  by  drink,  it  is  hardly  to  be  won 
dered  at  if  his  reputation  decreased,  and  his  ability 
slackened;  but  that  his  efforts  were  still  marked  by  a 
possession  of  the  very  highest  qualities  that  criticism  can 
attest,  is  proved  by  the  following  extract  from  the  "  Spec 
tator  : " 

Having  spoken  of  Mr.  Powell  as  sometimes  raising  himself  applause 
from  the  ill  taste  of  an  audience,  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  own, 
that  he  is  excellently  formed  for  a  tragedian,  and,  when  he  pleases, 
deserves  the  admiration  of  the  best  judges. — No.  40. 

Addison  and  Steele  continued  their  regard  for  this  un 
happy  man  as  long  as  they  could  render  him  any  service, 
and  that  he  acted  Portius,  in  "  Cato,"  on  its  appearance  in 
1713,  must  have  been  with  the  author's  approbation.  The 
last  trace  we  have  of  Powell  is  confined  to  a  playbill,  for  his 
benefit,  in  the  year  1717,  since  when  no  vestige  has  been 


354  MEMOIRS    OF 

found  of  his  career.  He  lies  buried,  it  has  been  said,  in  the 
vault  of  St.  Clement-Danes ;  but  though  the  period  of  his 
death  may  be  fixed  not  far  from  the  date  of  this  document, 
it  cannot  be  minutely  ascertained.  [Genest  says  Powell 
died  I4th  December,  1714.] 

In  the  intervals  of  excess  Powell  found  time  for  repeated 
literary  labour,  having  written  four  plays,  and  superintended 
the  publication  of  three  more.  His  fault  was  too  great  a 
passion  for  social  pleasure,  but  though  the  irregularities 
this  passion  produced,  disabled  him  from  exerting  the 
talents  he  was  allowed  to  possess,  still  his  excellence  on  the 
stage  is  not  to  be  disputed.  He  was  esteemed  at  one  period 
of  his  life  a  rival  to  Betterton,  and  had  the  prudence  of  his 
conduct  been  equal  to  the  vigour  of  his  genius,  he  would 
have  held,  as  well  as  reached,  that  lofty  station  for  which 
nature  had  designed  him. 

If  the  testimony  of  Aston  can  be  relied  on,  Powell  was 
born  in  the  year  1658,  being  incidentally  mentioned  by 
that  facetious  writer,  as  Betterton's  junior  by  three  and 
twenty  years. 


JOHN  VERBRUGGEN. 

John  Verbruggen,  it  appears  from  the  assertion  of  Mr. 
Davies,  was  a  dissipated  young  fellow,  who  determined,  in 
opposition  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  to  be  an  actor,  and 
accordingly  loitered  about  Drury-lane  theatre,  at  the  very 
time  when  Gibber  was  also  endeavouring  to  get  admittance, 
in  expectation  of  employment.  On  the  death  of  Mountfort, 
whose  widow  he  married,  Verbruggen  was  intrusted,  I  have 
no  doubt,  with  the  part  o>t  Alexander,  his  fondness  for  which 
was  such,  that  he  suffered  the  players  and  the  public,  for 
many  years,  to  call  him  by  no  other  name.  [He  seems  to 
have  been  called  Alexander  from  his  first  appearing  on  the 
stage,  till  1694.]  It  is  mentioned  in  more  than  one  pam 
phlet,  that  Gibber  and  Verbruggen  were  at  variance,  and 


ACTORS    AND   ACTRESSES.  355 

hence  the  animosity  and  unfairness  with  which  the  latter 
has  been  treated.1 

The  first  part  to  which  Verbruggen  can  be  traced,  is 
Aurelius,  in  "King  Arthur,"  4to,  1691  [he  played  Ter 
magant  ("Squire  of  Alsatia")  in  1688]  :  in  the  year  1696, 
Mr.  Southern  assigned  him  the  character  of  Oroonoko,  by 
the  special  advice  of  William  Cavendish,  the  first  Duke  of 
Devonshire ;  and  as  the  author  informs  us  in  his  preface, 
"  it  was  Verbruggen's  endeavour,  in  the  performance  of 
that  part,  to  merit  the  duke's  recommendation."  A  further 
proof  of  Mr.  Gibber's  partiality,  is  the  constant  respect  paid 
to  Verbruggen  by  such  judges  of  ability  as  Rowe  and  Con- 
greve,  for  whose  pieces  he  was  uniformly  selected.  His 
Mirabel,  in  the  "Way  of  the  World,"  and  Bajazet,  in 
"  Tamerlane,"  were  parts  of  the  highest  importance,  and  it 
will  be  difficult  to  show  that  an  ordinary  actor  could  have 
been  intrusted,  by  writers  of  equal  power  and  fastidity,  with 
duties  of  which  he  was  not  thoroughly  deserving.  When 

1  "  That  Verbruggen  and  Gibber  did  not  accord,  is  plainly  insinuated 
by  the  author  of  the  Laureat.  It  was  known  that  the  former  would 
resent  an  injury,  and  that  the  latter's  valour  was  entirely  passive.  The 
temper  of  Verbruggen  may  be  known,  from  a  story  which  I  have  often 
been  told  by  the  old  comedians  as  a  certain  fact,  and  which  found  its 
way  into  some  temporary  publication. 

"  Verbruggen,  in  a  dispute  with  one  of  King  Charles's  illegitimate 
sons,  was  so  far  transported  by  sudden  anger,  as  to  strike  him,  and 
call  him  a  son  of  a  whore.  The  affront  was  given,  it  seems,  behind 
the  scenes  of  Drury-lane.  Complaint  was  made  of  this  daring  insult 
on  a  nobleman,  and  Verbruggen  was  told,  he  must  either  not  act  in 
London,  or  submit  publicly  to  ask  the  nobleman's  pardon.  During 
the  time  of  his  being  interdicted  acting,  he  had  engaged  himself  to 
Betterton's  theatre.  He  consented  to  ask  pardon,  on  liberty  granted 
to  express  his  submission  in  his  own  terms.  He  came  on  the  stage 
dressed  for  the  part  of  Oroonoko,  and,  after  the  usual  preface,  owned 
that  he  had  called  the  Duke  of  St.  A.  a  son  of  a  whore.  '  It  is  true/ 
said  Verbruggen, '  and  I  am  sorry  for  it.'  On  saying  this,  he  invited 
the  company  present  to  see  him  act  the  part  of  Oroonoko,  at  the 
theatre  in  Lincoln's-inn-fields." — "  Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii. 
P- 447- 

II.  Z 


356  MEMOIRS    OF 

Verbruggen  died  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain.  He  played 
Sullen,  in  the  "  Beaux'  Stratagem,"  at  its  production  in 
1707,  and  as  Elrington  made  his  appearance  in  Bajazet,  in 
1711,  there  is  some  reason  to  conclude  that  Verbruggen's 
death  occurred  during  that  interval.  [He  died  before  April, 
1708.] 

Though  Gildon,  a  scribbler  whose  venality  was  only  ex 
ceeded  by  his  dulness,  has  mentioned  Verbruggen  in  the 
most  derogatory  terms,1  there  is  ample  evidence  in  the  bare 
record  of  his  business,  to  justify  the  most  unqualified  merit 
we  may  incline  to  ascribe.  Chetwood  alludes  to  him,  in 
pointing  out  Elrington's  imitation  of  his  excellencies,  as  "a 
very  great  actor  in  tragedy,  and  polite  parts  in  comedy,"  2 
and  the  author  of  the  "  Laureat  "  enumerates  a  variety  of 
important  characters,  in  which  he  commanded  universal 
applause. 


JOSEPH  WILLIAMS. 

Joseph  Williams,3  who  was  bred  a  seal-cutter,  came  into 
the  duke's  company,  about  the  year  1673,  when  but  a  boy, 
and  according  to  the  practice  of  that  period,  being  appren 
ticed  to  an  eminent  actor,  "  served  Mr.  Harris."  I  find  him 
first  mentioned  by  Downes,  for  Pylades,  in  the  serious  opera 
of  "  Circe  ; "  his  next  character  of  importance  being  Poly- 
dore,  in  the  "  Orphan,"  1680  ;  and,  same  year,  Theodosius,  in 
Lee's  tragedy  of  that  name.  The  Union  in  1682,  without 
diminishing  his  merit,  appears  to  have  lessened  his  value, 
by  the  introduction  of  Kynaston  and  others,  who  had  more 
established  pretensions  to  parts  of  importance. 

1  "  A  fellow  with  a  crackt  voice  :  he  clangs  his  words  as  if  he  spoke 
out  of  a  broken  drum." — "  Comparison,  &c.,"  1702. 

2  "  History  of  the  Stage,"  p.  136. 

3  There  was  also  a  David  Williams  ;  perhaps  the  person  who  played 
the  2.d  Grave-digger,  in  "Hamlet."  (B.)     [Genest  gives  this  part  to 
Joseph  Williams.] 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  357 

The  secession  of  Williams  from  Betterton's  company, 
just  before  the  opening  in  1695,  has  been  noticed  and  ex 
plained  by  Mr.  Gibber,  in  a  subsequent  passage.  Greatly, 
as  I  have  no  doubt,  he  has  depreciated  the  merit  of  this 
actor,  no  materials  remain  of  a  more  recent  date  than  those 
already  quoted,  by  which  we  may  conjecture  his  talents,  or 
enforce  his  estimation.  Williams  is  not  to  be  confounded 
with  an  actor  of  the  same  appellation,  who  was  at  Drury- 
lane  theatre  in  the  year  1730,  and  relieved  Gibber  of  Scipioy 
in  Thomson's  "  Sophonisba,"  a  curious  account  of  which  is 
given  in  the  "  Dramatic  Miscellanies." 


ELIZABETH  BARRY. 

Elizabeth  Barry,  it  is  said,  was  the  daughter  of  Edward 
Barry,  Esq.,  a  barrister,  who  was  afterwards  called  Colonel 
Barry,  from  his  having  raised  a  regiment  for  the  service  of 
Charles  the  First,  in  the  course  of  the  civil  wars.  The  mis 
fortunes  arising  from  this  engagement,  involved  him  in  such 
distress,  that  his  children  were  obliged  to  provide  for  their 
own  maintenance.  Lady  D'Avenant,  a  relation  of  the  noted 
laureat,  from  her  friendship  to  Colonel  Barry,  gave  this 
daughter  a  genteel  education,  and  made  her  a  constant 
associate  in  the  circle  of  polite  intercourse.  These  oppor 
tunities  gave  an  ease  and  grace  to  Mrs.  Barry's  behaviour, 
which  were  of  essential  benefit,  when  her  patroness  pro 
cured  her  an  introduction  to  the  stage.  This  happened  in 
the  year  1673,  when  Mrs.  Barry's  efforts  were  so  extremely 
unpropitious,  that  the  directors  of  the  duke's  company 
pronounced  her  incapable  of  making  any  progress  in  the 
histrionic  art.  Three  times,  according  to  Curll's  "  History 
of  the  Stage,"  she  was  dismissed,  and  by  the  interest  of  her 
benefactor,  re-instated.  When  Otway,  however,  produced 
his  "  Alcibiades,"  in  1675,  her  merit  was  such,  as  not  only 
to  excite  the  public  attention,  but  to  command  the  author's 
praise,  which  has  been  glowingly  bestowed  upon  her  in  the 


358  MEMOIRS    OF 

preface  to  that  production.  We  find  her,  next  season,  filling 
the  lively  character  of  Mrs.  Lovit,  in  Etherege's  "  Man  of 
Mode  ;"  and  in  1680,  her  performance  of  Monimia,  in  the 
"  Orphan,"  seems  to  have  raised  that  reputation  to  its 
greatest  height,  which  had  been  gradually  increasing.  The 
part  of  Belvidera,  two  years  afterwards,  and  the  heroine  of 
Southern's  "Fatal  Marriage,"  in  1694,  elicited  unrivalled 
talent,  and  procured  her  universal  distinction. 

When  Mrs.  Barry  first  resorted  to  the  theatre,  her  pre 
tensions  to  notice  were  a  good  air  and  manner,  and  a 
very  powerful  and  pleasing  voice.  Her  ear,  however,  was 
so  extremely  defective,  that  several  eminent  judges,  on 
seeing  her  attempt  a  character  of  some  importance,  gave 
their  opinion  that  she  never  could  be  an  actress.  Upon  the 
authority  of  Curll's  historian,  Mr.  Davies  x  has  compiled 
what  appears  to  me  an  apocryphal  tale  of  her  sudden  rise 
to  the  pinnacle  of  excellence,  though  there  is  no  reason  to 
dispute  her  criminal  intimacy  with  the  Earl  of  Rochester. 
I  am  not  inclined,  while  doubting  the  precise  anecdote  of 
his  assistance,  to  deny  that  much  advantage  might  have 
been  derived  from  his  general  instructions. 

Mrs.  Barry  was  not  only  remarkable  for  the  brilliancy  of 
her  talent,  but  the  earnestness  of  her  zeal,  and  the  ardour 
of  her  assiduity.  Betterton,  that  kind,  candid,  and  judicious 
observer,  bore  this  testimony  to  her  eminent  abilities,  and 
unyielding  good-nature,  that  she  often  exerted  herself  so 
greatly  in  a  pitiful  character,  that  her  acting  has  given 
success  to  plays  which  would  disgust  the  most  patient 
reader.2  When  she  accepted  a  part,  it  was  her  uniform 
practice  to  consult  the  author's  intention.  Her  last  new 
character  was  the  heroine  of  Smith's  "  Phaedra  and  Hip- 
polytus,"  and  though  Mrs.  Oldfield  and  the  poet  fell  out 
concerning  a  few  lines  in  the  part  of  Ismena,  Mrs.  Barry 

1  "  Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.  p.  209. 
-  "  Life  of  Betterton,"  p.  16. 


ACTORS    AND   ACTRESSES.  359 

and  he  were   in   perfect  harmony.     \Valide>  in  Goring's 
"  Irene,"  1708,  was  her  last  new  part] 

Mrs.  Barry  must  have  closed  her  career  with  this  per 
formance,  being  mentioned  by  Steele,  in  the  "Tatler,"  when 
assisting  at  Betterton's  benefit,  on  Thursday,  April  7th, 
1709,  as  "not  at  present  concerned  in  the  house."  She 
died  on  the  7th  of  November,  1713,  aged  fifty-five  years,  and 
was  buried  in  Acton  church-yard.  Mr.  Davies  ascribes  her 
death  to  the  bite  of  a  favourite  lap-dog,  who,  unknown  to 
her,  had  been  seized  with  madness,  and  there  seems  to  be 
no  grounds  for  disturbing  his  supposition. 

MRS.  BETTERTON. 

When  Sir  William  D'Avenant  undertook  the  manage 
ment  of  the  duke's  company,  he  lodged  and  boarded  four 
principal  actresses  in  his  house,  among  whom  was  Mrs- 
Saunderson,  the  subject  of  this  article. 

Mrs.  Saunderson's  first  appearance  in  D'Avenant's  com 
pany,  was  made  as  lanthe,  in  the  "  Siege  of  Rhodes,"  on  the 
opening  of  his  new  theatre  in  Lincoln's-inn-fields,  in  April, 
1662  [should  be  June,  1661].  She  played  Ophelia  soon 
afterwards,  and  that  part  being  followed  by  Shakspeare's 
Juliet,  evinces  the  consideration  in  which  her  services  were 
held.  [About]  1663,  she  married  Mr.  Betterton,  and  not 
in  1670,  as  it  is  erroneously  mentioned  in  the  "  Biographia 
Dramatica,"  and  other  worthless  compilations.1 

The  principal  characters  sustained  by  Mrs.  Betterton, 
were  Queen  Catharine,  in  "  Henry  the  Eighth ; "  the  DucJiess 
of  Malfy;  the  Amorous  Widow;  those  enumerated  in  the 
text,  and  many  others,  not  less  remarkable  for  their  impor- 

1  Downes  expressly  mentions  her  as  Mrs.  Betterton  for  Camilla 
[should  be  Portia],  in  the  "  Adventures  of  Five  Hours,"  1663  ;  and  she 
also  acted  by  that  name,  a  few  months  after,  in  the  "  Slighted  Maid." 
This  error  originated  with  the  "  Biographia  Britannica,"  but  Mr.  Jones, 
the  late  slovenly  editor  of  the  book  alluded  to,  had  ample  means  to 
correct  it.  (B.) 


360  MEMOIRS    OF 

tance  than  their  variety.  On  the  death  of  her  husband,  in 
April,  1710,  she  was  so  strongly  affected  by  that  event,  as 
to  lose  her  senses,  which  were  recovered,  however,  a  short 
time  previous  to  her  own  decease.  Mr.  Gibber  may  be 
right  in  stating  that  she  only  enjoyed  the  bounty  of  her 
royal  mistress  for  about  half  a  year  ;  but,  in  that  case,  the 
pension  could  not  have  been  granted  directly  he  died,  as 
we  find  that  Mrs.  Betterton  was  alive  on  the  4th  of  June, 

1711,  more  than  thirteen  months  after,  and  had  the  play  of 
"  Sir  Fopling  Flutter,"  performed  at    Drury-lane  for  her 
benefit.    Mrs.  Betterton,  though  prevented  from  performing, 
by  age  and  infirmity,  enjoyed  a  sinecure  situation  in  Drury- 
lane  theatre,  till  she  withdrew  from  it,  in  1709,  and  was 
paid  at  the  rate  of  [one  pound]  a-week.     The  "  Biographia 
Britannica"  says  she  survived  her  husband  eighteen  months, 
but  the  precise  date  of  her  decease  has  never  been  dis 
covered.      [Mrs.  Betterton  made  a  will   on  loth   March, 

1712.  In  all  probability  Bellchambers  is  right  in  supposing 
that  the  annuity  was  not  granted  till  some  time  after  her 
husband's  death.] 


BENJAMIN  JOHNSON. 

This  excellent  actor,  who  was  familiarly  known  by  the 
appellation  of  his  great  namesake,  Ben  Jonson,  came  into 
the  Theatre  Royal,  from  an  itinerant  company,  as  Mr.  Gibber 
relates,  about  the  year  1695.  He  was  bred  a  sign  painter,  but 
took  more  pleasure  in  hearing  the  actors,  than  in  handling 
his  pencil  or  spreading  his  colours,  and,  as  he  used  to  say 
in  his  merry  mood,  left  the  saint's  occupation  at  last  to  take 
that  of  the  sinner. 

Johnson's  merit  was  evinced  as  Sir  William  Wiseivould, 
in  Gibber's  comedy  of  "Love's  Last  Shift,"  4to,  1696;  but 
I  find  him  first  mentioned  by  Downes,  for  Justice  Wary,  in 
Caryl's  "Sir  Salomon"  [about  1704  or  1705];  the  old 
prompter,  in  a  species  of  postscript  to  his  valuable  tract, 


ACTORS    AND    ACTRESSES.  361 

then  terms  him  "  a  true  copy  of  Mr.  Underhill,"  and  instances 
his  Morose,  Corbaccio,  and  Hothead,  as  very  admirable  efforts. 
Johnson  passed  overto  the  management  of  old  Swiney,in  1706, 
with  other  members  of  Betterton's  company,  and  established 
a  very  high  reputation  by  his  chaste  and  studied  manner  of 
acting.  When  Rich,  in  1714,  opened  his  new  theatre  in 
Lincoln's-inn-fields,  Booth,  Wilks,  and  Gibber,  the  managers 
of  Drury-lane,  solicitous  to  retain  in  their  service  comedians 
of  merit,  paid  a  particular  respect  to  Johnson,  by  investing 
him  with  such  parts  of  Dogget,  who  had  taken  leave  of 
them,  as  were  adapted  to  his  powers.  Here  he  continued 
with  fame  and  profit,  till  August,  1742,  when  he  expired  in 
the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Davies,  who 
appears  to  have  been  familiar  with  his  excellencies,  has 
given  a  description  of  Johnson,  which,  for  its  evident  taste 
and  candour,  I  shall  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  transcribe. 

"  That  chaste  copier  of  nature,  Ben  Johnson,  the  comedian, 
for  above  forty  years,  gave  a  true  picture  of  an  arch  clown 
in  the  Grave-digger.  His  jokes  and  repartees  had  a  strong 
effect  from  his  seeming  insensibility  of  their  force.  His 
large,  speaking,  blue  eyes  he  fixed  steadily  on  the  person 
to  whom  he  spoke,  and  was  never  known  to  have  wandered 
from  the  stage  to  any  part  of  the  theatre." — "  Dram.  Misc.," 
iii.  140. 

WILLIAM  BULLOCK. 

This  excellent  actor  came  to  London,  as  we  see,  about  1 695, 
deriving  his  engagement  from  the  distress  in  which  Drury- 
lane  theatre  was  involved  by  the  desertion  of  Betterton,  and 
other  principal  performers.  He  quitted  this  establishment 
in  1714,  owing,  as  Mr.  Gibber  insinuates,  to  the  ungovern 
able  temper  of  Wilks ;  and  passed  over  to  John  Rich,  at 
the  opening  of  Lincoln's-inn-fields.  He  is  first  mentioned 
by  Downes,  for  the  Host,  in  Shakspeare's  "  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor"  [about  1704  or  1705],  and  appears  to  be  pointed 
at  in  Dennis's  "  Epistle  Dedicatory "  to  the  "  Comical 


362  MEMOIRS    OF 

Gallant,"  where  the  irascible  writer  thus  addresses  the  Hon. 
George  Granville  : — 

"  Falstaff's  part,  which  you  know  to  be  the  principal  one 
of  the  play,  and  that  which  on  all  the  rest  depends,  was  by 
no  means  acted  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  audience,  upon 
which  several  fell  from  disliking  the  action,  to  disapproving 
the  play."  [As  noted  before,  p.  252,  Bullock  was  probably 
not  the  actor  aimed  at] 

This  piece  was  printed  in  1702,  as  acted  "at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  Drury-lane ;  "  with  a  list  of  the  dramatis  persona, 
but  the  names  of  the  actors  not  annexed.  Bullock,  how 
ever,  sustained  the  part  of  Sir  Tunbelly  Clumsy,  in  Van- 
brugh's  "  Relapse,"  which  had  been  previously  performed 
under  the  same  auspices,  and  from  its  nature,  most  probably 
by  the  same  actor. 

William  Bullock  was  a  comedian  of  great  glee  and  much 
vivacity,  and  in  his  person  large,  with  a  lively  countenance, 
full  of  humourous  information.  Steele,  in  the  "  Tatler," 
with  his  usual  kind  sensibility,  very  often  adverts  to 
Bullock's  faculty  of  exciting  amusement,  but  sometimes 
censures  his  habit  of  interpolation.1  In  Gildon's  "Com 
parison  between  the  Two  Stages,"  1702  [p.  199],  he  is 
termed  the  "  best  comedian  since  Nokes  and  Leigh,  and  a 
fellow  that  has  a  very  humble  opinion  of  himself."  Bullock's 
abilities  have  been  ratified  by  the  sanction  of  Macklin,  who 
denominated  him  a  true  theatrical  genius ;  and  Mr.  Davies 
saw  him  act  several  parts  with  great  applause,  and  particu 
larly  the  Spanish  Friar,  when  beyond  the  age  of  eighty. 
He  died  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1733.  [Genest,  iii.  593,  points 
out  that  Bullock  was  acting  in  1739.] 


JOHN  MILLS. 
Our  first  notice  of  this  actor  is  found  in  the  "  Roscius 

1  "  You'll  have  Pinkethman  and  Bullock  helping  out  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher."— Tatler,"  No.  89. 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  363 

Anglicanus,"  where  Downes,  who  seems  anxious  to  dispatch 
his  subject,  says  summarily  that  "he  excels  in  tragedy," 
but  without  making  the  remotest  allusion  to  any  characters 
in  which  his  talent  had  been  displayed. 

John  Mills  the  elder  was,  in  person,  inclined  to  the  athletic 
size ;  his  features  were  large,  though  not  expressive ;  his 
voice  was  full,  but  not  flexible ;  and  his  deportment  was 
manly,  without  being  graceful  or  majestic.  He  was  con 
sidered  one  of  the  most  useful  actors  that  ever  served  in  a 
theatre,  but  though  invested  by  the  patronage  of  Wilks 
with  many  parts  of  the  highest  order,  he  had  no  pretensions 
to  quit  the  secondary  line  in  which  he  ought  to  have  been 
placed.  Steele  l  taxes  him  very  broadly  with  a  want  of 
"sentiment,"  and  insinuates  that  by  making  gesture  too 
much  his  study,  he  neglected  the  better  attributes  of  his  art. 

On  the  death  of  Betterton,  or  soon  after,  Wilks,  who 
took  upon  himself  to  regulate  the  theatrical  cast,  gave 
Macbeth,  with  great  partiality,  to  Mills,  while  Booth  and 
Powell  were  condemned  to  represent  the  inferior  parts  of 
Banquo  and  Lenox.  Mills,  though  he  spoke  the  celebrated 
soliloquy  on  time, — 

To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  etc., 

with  propriety,  feeling,  and  effect,  wanted  genius  to  realise 
the  turbulent  scenes  in  which  this  character  abounds.  So 
much,  indeed,  was  his  deficiency  perceived,  that  the  indig 
nation  of  a  country  gentleman  broke  out  one  night,  during 
the  performance  of  this  play,  in  a  very  odd  manner.  The 
'squire,  after  having  been  heartily  tired  with  Mills,  on  the 
appearance  of  his  old  companion,  Powell,  in  the  fourth  act, 
exclaimed,  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  the  audience,  "  For 
God's  sake,  George,  give  us  a  speech,  and  let  me  go  home." 3 
I  recollect  an  incident  of  the  same  sort  occurring  at 
Bristol,  where  a  very  indifferent  actor,  declaimed  so  long 

1  "Tatler,"  No.  201. 

2  "Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  ii.  p.  133. 


364  MEMOIRS    OF 

and  to  such  little  purpose,  that  an  honest  farmer,  who  sat 
in  the  pit,  started  up  with  evident  signs  of  disgust,  and 
waving  his  hand,  to  motion  the  speaker  off,  cried  out, 
"  Tak'  un  away,  tak'  un  away,  and  let's  have  another." 

One  of  the  best  parts  sustained  by  Mills,  was  that  of 
Pierre,  which  he  acted  so  much  to  the  taste  of  the  public, 
that  the  applause  it  produced  him  exceeded  all  that  was 
bestowed  upon  his  best  efforts  in  every  thing  else.  He  also 
acted  Ventidius  with  the  true  spirit  of  a  rough  and  gene 
rous  old  soldier,  and  in  Bajazet,  by  the  aid  of  his  strong, 
deep,  melodious  voice,  he  displayed  more  than  ordinary 
power. 

It  is  supposed  that  Mills  died  in  [December],  1736, 
respected  by  the  public  as  a  decent  actor,  and  beloved  by 
his  friends  as  a  worthy  man. 


THEOPHILUS  KEEN. 

Theophilus  Keen  received  his  first  instructions  in  acting 
from  Mr.  Ashbury,  of  the  Dublin  theatre,  in  which  he  made 
his  appearance  about  the  year  1695.  He  most  probably 
came  into  the  Drury-lane  company  with  Johnson  and 
others,  when  Rich  had  beaten  up  for  recruits.  On  the 
opening  of  the  new  house  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  he  went 
over  to  it,  and,  according  to  Chetwood,  had  a  share  not 
only  of  the  management,  but  in  the  profit  and  loss,  which 
latter  speculation  proved  so  disastrous  to  him,  that  he  died 
in  the  year  1719,  of  a  broken  heart.  He  was  buried  in  the 
church  of  St.  Clement-Danes,  and  so  much  does  he  seem 
to  have  been  respected,  that  more  than  two  hundred  per 
sons  in  deep  mourning,  attended  his  funeral. 

The  influence  he  possessed  in  the  theatre  sometimes  led 
him  to  assume  such  parts  as  Edgar,  Oroouoko,  and  Essex, 
while  his  excellence  lay  in  Clytus,  and  characters  of  a 
similar  cast.  His  figure  and  voice,  though  neither  elegant 
nor  soft,  were  good,  and  his  action  was  so  complete,  that  it 


ACTORS  AND   ACTRESSES.  365 

obtained  for  him  the  epithet  of  majestic,  and  when  he 
spoke  those  lines  of  the  King,  in  "  Hamlet,"  where  he 
descants  upon  the  dignity  that  "  doth  hedge  "  a  monarch, 
his  look  and  whole  deportment  were  so  commanding,  that 
the  audience  accompanied  them  always  with  the  loudest 
applause. 


MRS.  MARY  PORTER. 

This  valuable  and  respected  actress,  who  was  not  only  an 
honour  to  the  stage,  but  an  ornament  to  human  nature, 
obtained  the  notice  of  Betterton  by  performing,  when  a 
child,  the  Genius  of  Britain,  in  a  Lord  Mayor's  pageant, 
during  the  reign  of  Charles  or  James  the  Second.  It 
was  the  custom  for  fruit-women  in  the  theatre  formerly 
to  stand  fronting  the  pit,  with  their  backs  to  the  stage,  and 
their  oranges,  &c.  covered  with  vine  leaves,  under  one  of 
which  Betterton  threatened  to  put  his  little  pupil,  who  was 
extremely  diminutive,  if  she  did  not  speak  and  act  as  he 
would  have  her. 

Mrs.  Porter  was  the  genuine  successor  of  Mrs.  Barry,  and 
had  an  elevated  consequence  in  her  manner,  which  has 
seldom  been  equalled.  One  of  her  greatest  parts  was 
Shakspeare's  Queen  Catherine,  in  which  her  sensibility  and 
intelligence,  her  graceful  elocution  and  dignified  behaviour, 
commanded  applause  and  attention  in  passages  of  little 
importance.  When  the  scene  was  not  agitated  by  passion, 
to  the  general  spectator  she  failed  in  communicating  equal 
pleasure ;  her  recitation  of  fact  or  sentiment  being  so  modu 
lated  as  to  resemble  musical  cadence  rather  than  speaking. 
Where  passion,  however,  predominated,  she  exerted  her 
powers  to  a  supreme  degree,  and  exhibited  that  enthusiastic 
ardour  which  filled  her  audience  with  animation,  astonish 
ment,  and  delight. 

The  dislocation  of  her  thigh-bone,  in  the  summer  of 
1731,  was  attended  with  a  circumstance  that  deserves  to 


366  MEMOIRS   OF 

be  recorded.  She  lived  at  Heywood-hill,  near  Hendon, 
and,  after  the  play,  went  home  every  night  in  a  one-horse 
chaise,  prepared  to  defend  herself  against  robbery,  with 
a  brace  of  pistols.  She  was  stopped  on  one  of  those 
occasions  by  a  highwayman,  who  demanded  her  money, 
and  having  the  courage  to  level  one  of  her  pistols  at  him, 
the  assailant,  who  was  probably  unfurnished  with  a  similar 
weapon,  assured  her  that  he  was  no  common  thief,  and  had 
been  driven  to  his  present  course  by  the  wants  of  a  starving 
family.  He  told  her,  at  the  same  time,  where  he  lived,  and 
urged  his  distresses  with  such  earnestness,  that  she  spared 
him  all  the  money  in  her  purse,  which  was  about  ten 
guineas.  The  man  left  her,  on  which  she  gave  a  lash  to 
the  horse,  who  suddenly  started  out  of  the  track,  overturned 
her  vehicle,  and  caused  the  accident  already  related.  Let 
it  be  remembered  to  this  good  woman's  credit,  that  not 
withstanding  the  pain  and  loss  to  which  he  had,  innocently, 
subjected  her,  she  made  strict  inquiry  into  the  highwayman's 
character,  and  finding  that  he  had  told  the  truth,  she  raised 
about  sixty  pounds  among  her  acquaintance,  and  sent  it, 
without  delay,  to  the  relief  of  his  wretched  family.  There 
is  a  romantic  generosity  in  this  deed  that  captivates  me 
more  than  its  absolute  justice. 

About  the  year  1738,  Mrs.  Porter  returned  to  the  stage, 
and  acted  many  of  her  principal  characters,  with  much 
vigour  and  great  applause,  though  labouring  under  advanced 
age  and  unconquerable  infirmity.  She  had  the  misfortune 
to  outlive  an  annuity  upon  which  she  depended,  and  died 
in  narrow  circumstances,  about  the  year  1762.  [She  pub 
lished  Lord  Cornbury's  comedy  of  "  The  Mistakes,"  in 
J758,  by  which  she  realized  a  large  sum  of  money.] 

Though  her  voice  was  harsh  and  unpleasing,  she  sur 
mounted  its  defects  by  her  exquisite  judgment.  In  person 
she  was  tall  and  well  shaped  ;  her  complexion  was  fair  ; 
and  her  features,  though  not  handsome,  were  made  sus 
ceptible  of  all  that  strong  feeling  could  desire  to  convey. 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  367 

Her  deportment  was  easy,  and  her  action  unaffected  ;  and 
the  testimony  upon  which  the  merits  of  Mrs.  Porter  are 
placed,  entitles  us  to  rank  her  in  the  very  first  class  of 
theatrical  performers. 


MRS.  ANNE  OLDFIELD. 

Anne  Oldfield  was  born  in  the  year  1683,  and  would 
have  possessed  a  tolerable  fortune,  had  not  her  father,  a 
captain  in  the  army,  expended  it  at  a  very  early  period. 
In  consequence  of  this  deprivation,  she  went  to  reside  with 
her  aunt,  who  kept  the  Mitre  tavern,  in  St.  James's-market, 
where  Farquhar,  the  dramatist,  one  day  heard  her  reading 
a  few  passages  from  Beaumont  and  Fletcher's  "  Scornful 
Lady,"  in  which  she  manifested  such  spirit,  ease,  and 
humour,  that  being  struck  by  her  evident  advantages  for 
the  stage,  he  framed  an  excuse  to  enter  the  room,  a  little 
parlour  behind  the  bar,  in  which  Miss  Nancy  was  sitting. 

Vanbrugh,  who  frequented  the  house,  and  was  known  to 
Mrs.  Oldfield's  mother,  received  a  communication  from 
that  lady  of  the  very  great  warmth  with  which  his  friend 
Farquhar  had  extolled  her  daughter's  abilities.  Vanbrugh, 
who  seems  to  have  been  a  zealous  and  sincere  friend  to  all 
by  whom  his  assistance  was  courted,  immediately  addressed 
himself  to  our  heroine,  and  having  ascertained  that  her 
fancy  tended  to  parts  of  a  sprightly  nature,  he  recommended 
her  to  Rich,  the  manager  of  Drury-lane,  by  whom  she  was 
immediately  engaged,  at  a  salary  of  fifteen  shillings  per 
week.  Her  qualifications  soon  rendered  her  conspicuous 
among  the  young  actresses  of  that  time,  and  a  man  of  rank 
being  pleased  to  express  himself  in  her  favour,  Mr.  Rich 
increased  her  weekly  terms  to  the  sum  of  twenty  shillings. 
The  rise  of  Mrs.  Oldfield  was  gradual  but  secure,  and 
soon  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Verbruggen  she  succeeded  to 
the  line  of  comic  parts  so  happily  held  by  that  popular 
actress.  Her  Lady  Betty  Modish,  in  1704,  before  which 


368  MEMOIRS    OF 

she  was  little  known,  and  barely  suffered,  discovered  accom 
plishments  the  public  were  not  apprised  of,  and  rendered 
her  one  of  the  greatest  favourites  upon  whom  their  sanction 
had  ever  been  bestowed.  She  was  tall,  genteel,  and  well 
shaped ;  her  pleasing  and  expressive  features  were  enlivened 
by  large  speaking  eyes,  which,  in  some  particular  comic 
situations,  were  kept  half  shut,  especially  when  she  intended 
to  realise  some  brilliant  idea  ;  in  sprightliness  of  air,  and 
elegance  of  manner,  she  excelled  all  actresses ;  and  was 
greatly  superior  in  the  strength,  compass,  and  harmony  of 
her  voice. 

Though  highly  appreciated  as  a  tragic  performer,  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  in  the  full  round  of  glory,  used  to  slight  her  best 
personations  of  that  sort,  and  would  often  say,  "  I  hate  to 
have  a  page  dragging  my  train  about.  Why  don't  they 
give  Porter  those  parts  ?  She  can  put  on  a  better  tragedy 
face  than  I  can."  The  constant  applause  by  which  she 
was  followed  in  characters  of  this  description,  so  far  recon 
ciled  her  to  Melpomene,  that  the  last  new  one  in  which  she 
appeared  was  Thomson's  Sophonisba.  Upon  her  action 
and  deportment  the  author  has  expressed  himself  with 
great  ardour  in  the  following  lines  : 

Mrs.  Oldfield,  in  the  character  of  Sophonisba,  has  excelled  what, 
even  in  the  fondness  of  an  author,  I  could  either  wish  or  imagine. 
The  grace,  dignity,  and  happy  variety,  of  her  action  have  been  uni 
versally  applauded,  and  are  truly  admirable. 

Thomson's  praise,  indeed,  is  not  more  liberal  than  just, 
for  we  learn,  that  in  reply  to  some  degrading  expression  of 
Massinissa,  relating  to  Carthage,  she  uttered  the  following 
line, — 

Not  one  base  word  of  Carthage,  for  thy  soul  !— 

with  such  grandeur  of  port,  a  look  so  tremendous,  and  in  a 
voice  so  powerful,  that  it  is  said  she  even  astonished  Wilks, 
her  Massinissa  ;  it  is  certain  the  audience  were  struck,  and 


ACTORS    AND   ACTRESSES.  369 

expressed  their  feelings  by  the  most  uncommon  applause.1 
Testimony  like  this  is  sufficient  to  protect  her  claim  to 
tragic  excellence,  eclipsed  as  it  certainly  is  by  the  supe 
riority  of  her  comic  reputation. 

Lady  Toivnly  has  been  universally  adduced  as  her  neplus 
ultra  in  acting.  She  slided  so  gracefully  into  the  foibles, 
and  displayed  so  humourously  the  excesses,  of  a  fine 
woman  too  sensible  of  her  charms,  too  confident  in  her 
strength,  and  led  away  by  her  pleasures,  that  no  succeeding 
Lady  Townly  arrived  at  her  many  distinguished  excellencies 
in  the  character.  By  being  a  welcome  and  constant  visitor 
to  families  of  distinction,  Mrs.  Oldfield  acquired  a  graceful 
carriage  in  representing  women  of  high  rank,  and  ex 
pressed  their  sentiments  in  a  manner  so  easy,  natural,  and 
flowing,  that  they  appeared  to  be  of  her  own  genuine 
utterance.  Notwithstanding  her  amorous  connexions2  were 
publicly  known,  she  was  invited  to  the  houses  of  women 
of  fashion,  as  conspicuous  for  unblemished  character  as 
elevated  rank.  Even  the  royal  family  did  not  disdain  to 
see  Mrs.  Oldfield  at  their  levees.  George  the  Second  and 
Queen  Caroline,  when  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales,  often 
condescended  to  converse  with  her.  One  day  the  Princess 
told  Mrs.  Oldfield,  she  had  heard  that  General  Churchill 
and  she  were  married  :  "  So  it  is  said,  may  it  please  your 
royal  highness,"  replied  Mrs.  Oldfield,  "  but  we  have  not 
owned  it  yet." 

In  private,  Mrs.  Oldfield  was  generous,  humane,  witty, 
and  well-bred.  Though  she  disliked  the  man,  and  dis 
approved  of  his  conduct,  yet  the  misfortunes  of  Savage 
recommended  him  to  her  pity,  and  she  often  relieved  him 

1  "  Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.  p.  465. 

a  It  is  supposed  that  she  was  engaged  in  a  tender  intercourse  with 
Farquhar,  and  was  the  "  Penelope  "  of  his  amatory  correspondence. 
She  lived  successively  with  Arthur  Mainwaring,  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  characters  of  his  age,  and  General  Churchill ;  by  each  of 
whom  she  had  a  son. 


37O  MEMOIRS    OF 

by  a  handsome  donation.  Her  influence  with  Walpole 
contributed  to  procure  his  pardon  when  convicted,  on  false 
evidence,  of  murder,  and  adjudged  to  death,  a  fate  which 
his  most  unnatural  mother  did  her  utmost  to  enforce.  It 
is  not  true  that  she  either  allowed  this  poet  an  annuity,  or 
admitted  his  conversation,1  but  still  the  benefits  she  did 
confer  upon  him  were  quite  numerous  enough  to  warrant 
his  celebration  of  her  memory.  The  goodness  of  her  heart, 
and  the  splendour  of  her  talents,  were  topics  upon  which 
Savage  might  have  ventured  to  insist,  without  endangering 
his  piety  or  wounding  his  pride.  Dr.  Johnson  has  sanctioned 
the  silence  of  this  author,2  on  the  grounds  of  Mrs.  Oldfield's 
condition ;  but  that  dogmatic  man  would  have  shown  a 
truer  taste  for  benevolence,  had  he  recommended  the  most 
ardent  devotion  to  individuals  of  any  stamp,  who  were 
actuated  by  so  glorious  a  principle. 

Pope,  who  seems  to  have  persecuted  the  name  of  player 
with  a  malignancy  unworthy  of  his  genius,  has  stigmatised 
the  conversation  of  Mrs.  Oldfield  by  the  word  "  Oldfield- 
ismos"  which  he  printed  in  Greek  characters  ;  nor  can  their 
be  a  doubt  that  he  meant  her  by  the  dying  coquette,  in  one 
of  his  epistles.  That  Mrs.  Oldfield  was  touched  by  the 
vanity  of  weak  minds,  and  drew  an  absurd  importance 
from  the  popularity  of  her  low  station,  may  be  fairly 
inferred,  and  might  have  been  fairly  derided  ;3  but  Pope, 
with  his  usual  want  of  candour,  has  appealed  to  less 

1  This  fact  is  firmly  denied  in  Gibber's  "  Lives  of  the  Poets,"  and 
with  a  pointed  reference  to  Johnson's  admission  of  it. — Vol.  v.  p.  33. 

2  Savage,   however,   was  not  silent ;    though  he  abstained    from 
putting  his  name  to  the  poem,  he  indisputably  wrote  upon  Mrs.  Old- 
field's  death.     It  is  preserved  in  Chetwood's  "  History." 

3  What  can  be  more  ridiculous  than  the  following  anecdote  ? 

Mrs.  Oldfield  happened  to  be  in  some  danger  in  a  Gravesend  boat, 
and  when  the  rest  of  the  passengers  lamented  their  imagined  approach 
ing  fate,  she,  with  a  conscious  dignity,  told  them  their  deaths  would  be 
only  a  private  loss  ; — "  But  I  am  a  public  concern." — "  Dramatic 
Miscellanies,"  vol.  i.  p.  227. 


ACTORS   AND   ACTRESSES.  371 

tangible  failings,  and  tried,  as  in  most  cases,  much  more  to 
ridicule  the  person  than  correct  the  fault.  I  do  not  dispute 
the  brilliancy  of  his  sarcasm,  but  I  would  rather  hail  the 
rigour  of  his  justice.1 

Mrs.  Oldfield  died  on  the  23d  of  October,  1730,  most 
sincerely  lamented  by  those  to  whom  her  general  value  was 
not  unknown. 

1  The  bitterness  of  Pope's  muse  subsided  upon  no  occasion,  where 
the  name  of  Mrs.  Oldfield  might  be  aptly  introduced.  Thus  in  the 
"  Sober  Advice  from  Horace,"  one  of  his  inedited  poems  : 

Engaging  Oldfield  !  who,  with  grace  and  ease, 

Could  join  the  arts  to  ruin  and  to  please. 


II,  A  A 


INDEX. 


ABBE,    Monsieur    L',    a 
French  dancer,  i.  xxvii., 
i.  316. 

Acting,  excellence  of,  about 
1631,  i.  xlviii. ;  Gibber's 
views  on  versatility  in,i.  209. 

Actors,  their  names  not  given 
in  old  plays,  i.  xxv. ;  join 
Charles  I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. ; 
the  prejudice  against,  i.  74- 
84 ;  taken  into  society,  i.  83  ; 
their  delight  in  applause,  i. 
85  ;  entitled  Gentlemen  of 
the  Great  Chamber,  i.  88 ; 
must  be  born,  not  made,  i. 
89  ;  their  private  characters 
influence  audiences,  i.  243- 
25 1 ;  their  arrangement  with 
Swiney  in  1706,  ii.  9;  re 
fused  Christian  burial  by  the 
Romish  Church,  ii.  29 ;  badly 
paid,  ii.  64 ;  dearth  of  young, 
ii.  221. 

—  the  old,  played  secretly 
during  the  Commonwealth, 
i.  xxx. ;  arrested  for  playing, 
i.  xxx. ;  bribed  officers  of 
guard  to  let  them  play,  i. 
xxx. 

Actress  (Miss  Santlow),  in 
sulted,  i.  76. 


Actresses,  first  English,  i.  87, 
note  i,  i.  90,  i.  119;  who 
were  Charles  II.'s  mistresses, 
i.  91 ;  difficulty  of  getting 
good,  ii.  222. 

Addison,  Joseph,  i.  245,  ii. 
36,  note  i,  ii.  151,  ii.  163, 
note  i,  ii.  251  ;  Pope's  attack 
on,  i.  38 ;  his  opinion  of 
Wilks's  Hamlet,  i.  100  ;  his 
view  regarding  humour  in 
tragedy,  i.  123  ;  his  play  of 
"Cato,"  ii.  120;  its  great 
success,  ii.  127-133;  pre 
sents  the  profits  of  "  Cato  " 
to  the  managers,  ii.  129  ;  its 
success  at  Oxford,  ii.  137; 
his  "Cato "quoted,  ii.  238, 
note  2. 

Admission  to  theatres,  cheap, 
before  1642,  i.  xxvii. 

Adventurers — subscribers  to 
the  building  of  Dorset  Gar 
den  Theatre,  i.  97,  note  i ; 
their  interest  in  the  Drury 
Lane  Patent,  ii.  32,  note  i ; 
Rich  uses  them  against 
Brett,  ii.  57  ;  names  of  the 
principal,  ii.  57,  note  i. 

Agreement  preliminary  to  the 
Union  of  1682,^324,11.328. 


374 


INDEX. 


"  Albion  Queens,  The,"  ii.  14, 
note  i, 

"Alexander  the  Great,"  by 
Lee,  i.  105. 

Allen,  William,  an  eminent 
actor,  i.  xxvi.  ;  a  major  in 
Charles  I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. 

Alleyn,  Edward,  caused  the 
Fortune  Theatre  to  be  built 
for  his  company,  i.  xxviii. ; 
endowed  Dulwich  College, 
i.  xxviii. ;  Ben  Jonson's  eulo- 
gium  of,  i.  xxviii.. 

"  Amphytrion,"  by  Dryden,  i. 

US- 
Angel,  a  comedian,  ii.  347. 
Anne,  Queen  (while  Princess 
of   Denmark),    deserts   her 
father,  James  II.,  i.  67,  i. 
70 ;  pensions  Mrs.  Betterton, 
i.  162  ;  at  the  play,  i.  185  ; 
forbids    audience    on    the 
stage,  i.   234,  note  2  ;    her 
death,  ii.  161. 
Applause,  i.  221  ;  the  pleasure 

of,  i.  85. 

Archer,  William,  his  investi 
gations  regarding  the  truth 
of  Diderot's  "  Paradoxe  sur 
le  Come'dien,"  i.  103,  note  i ; 
his  "About  the  Theatre,"  i. 
278,  note  i. 
Aristophanes,  referred  to,  i. 

39- 
Arlington,  Earl  of,  his  death, 

i.  31,  note  i. 

Arthur,  son  of  Henry  VII., 
pageants  at  his  marriage,  i. 
xliii. 


Ashbury,  Joseph,  the  Dublin 
Patentee,  i.  236,  ii.  364 ; 
engages  Mrs.  Charlotte  But 
ler,  i.  165  ;  memoir  of,  i. 
165,  note  i. 

Aston,  Anthony,  quoted,  i.  109, 
note  i,  i.  no,  note  i,  i.  116, 
note  i,  i.  167,  note  i,  i.  167, 
note  2,  ii.  354 ;  on  his  own 
acting  of  Fondlewife,  ii.  3 1 2 ; 
his  "Brief  Supplement"  to 
Gibber's  Lives  of  his  Con 
temporaries,  reprint  of,  ii. 
297 ;  his  description  of  Mrs. 
Barry,  ii.  302  ;  Betterton,  ii. 
299;  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  ii. 
303  ;  Dogget,  ii.  308 ; 
Haines,  ii.  3 1 4 ;  Mrs.  Mount- 
fort,  ii.  313;  Sandford,  ii. 
306  ;  Underbill,  ii.  307  ; 
Verbruggen,  ii.  311. 

Audience  on  the  stage,  i.  234, 
ii.  246. 

Audiences  rule  the  stage  for 
good  or  evil,  i.  112;  authors 
discouraged  by  their  se 
verity,  i.  176. 

Authors  abusing  managers  and 
actors,  ii.  249;  managers' 
troubles  with,  ii.  249 ;  Gib 
ber  censured  for  his  treat 
ment  of,  ii.  251,  note  i. 


Bacon,  Lord,  quoted,  i.  xlv. 

Baddeley,  Robert,  thelast  actor 
who  wore  the  uniform  of 
their  Majesties'  servants,  i. 
88,  note  3. 


INDEX. 


Balon,  Mons.,  a  French  dancer, 
i.  316. 

Banks,  John,  the  excellence  of 
his  plots,  ii.  15;  his  "Un 
happy  Favourite,"  ii.  244. 

Baron,  Michael  (French  actor), 

i-  175- 

Barry,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  i.  98,  i. 
no,  note  i,  i.  185,  i.  188,  i. 
192,  note  i,  i.  251,  note  i,  ii. 
300,  ii.  302,  ii.  306,  ii.  320, 
ii.  337,  ii.  365 ;  Gibber's 
account  of,  i.  158-161;  her 
great  genius,  i.  158;  Dry- 
den's  compliment  to,  i.  158 ; 
her  unpromising  commence 
ment  as  an  actress,  i.  159; 
her  power  of  exciting  pity,  i. 
1 60;  her  dignity  and  fire, 
i.  1 60;  the  first  performer 
who  had  a  benefit,  i.  161 ; 
her  death,  i.  161;  her  re 
tirement,  ii.  69;  Anthony 
Aston's  description  of,  ii. 
302 ;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  357. 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher's 
"  Wild-Goose  Chase,"  pub 
lished  for  Lowin  and  Tay 
lor's  benefit,  i.  xxxi. 

Beeston,  Christopher,  ii.  326. 

"Beggar's  Opera,"  i.  243,  i. 
318. 

Behn,  Mrs.  Aphra,  i.  195. 

Bellchambers,  Edmund,  his 
edition  of  Gibber's  "Apo 
logy"  quoted,  i.  5,  note  i,  i. 
14,  nott  i,  i.  35,  note  2,  i.  41, 
note  2,  i.  58,  note  i,  i.  71, 


note  i, 


375 

io6,  note  i,  i.  123, 


note  2,  .  133,  note  i,  i.  141, 
note  i,  .  146,  note  i,  i.  152, 
note  i,  .161,  note  2,  i.  163, 
note  i,  .  170,  note  i,  i.  179, 

2,  .  183,  note  i,  i.  197, 

3,  .  202,  #<?&  i,  i.  251, 
note  i,  i.  278,  note  i,  ii.  17, 
note  i,  ii.  51,  note  i,  ii.  88, 
»0&  i,  ii.  185,  note  i,  ii.  252, 
note  i,  ii.  254,  note  i  ;  his 
memoir  of  Mrs.   Barry,   ii. 
357;    Betterton,    ii.    333; 
Mrs.    Betterton,    ii.     359 ; 
W.  Bullock,  ii.  361;   Est- 
court,  ii.  331 ;  Goodman,  ii. 
329  ;    Hart,    ii.   322  ;    B. 
Johnson,  ii.  360 ;  Keen,  ii. 
364  ;    Kynaston,   ii.   339  ; 
Anthony    Leigh,    ii.    349 ; 
John  Mills,  ii.  362  ;  Mohun, 
ii.  326;  Mountfort,  ii.  341  ; 
James  Nokes,  ii.  346  ;  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  ii.  367  ;  Pinketh- 
man,  ii.  348 ;  Mrs.  Porter, 
ii.   365  ;    Powell,   ii.    352; 
Sandford,  ii.  346  :  Smith,  ii. 
319  ;    Underbill,   ii.    350  ; 
Verbruggen,  ii.  354;  Joseph 
Williams,  ii.  356. 

Benefits,  their  origin,  i.  161; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Barry  the 
first  performer  to  whom 
granted,  i.  161,  ii.  67  ;  part 
confiscated  by  Rich,  ii.  66  ; 
Rich  ordered  to  refund  the 
part  confiscated,  ii.  68; 
amounts  realized  by  princi 
pal  actors,  ii.  78,  note  i. 


376 


INDEX. 


Betterton,  Mrs.  Mary,  i.  98, 
i.  327,  ii.  336;  said  to  be 
the  first  English  actress,  i. 
90,  note  i ;  Gibber's  account 
of,  i.  161-162  ;  without  a 
rival  in  Shakespeare's  plays, 
i.  162  ;  her  unblemished 
character,  i.  162  ;  pensioned 
by  Queen  Anne,  i.  162  ;  her 
death,i.  162;  Bellchambers's 
memoir  of,  ii.  359. 

Thomas,  i.  98,  i.  162, 

i.  175,  i.  181,  note  2,  i.  187, 
note  i,  i.  1 88,  ii.  64,  note  2,  ii. 
128,  ii.  211,  note  i,  ii.  215, 
ii.  237,  ii.  244,  note  i,  ii.  306, 
ii.  308,11.31 1,  ii.  320,11.  324, 
11.346,  ii.352,ii.358,ii.  359, 
ii.  363,  ii.  365;  improves 
scenery,  i.  xxii. ;  taken  into 
good  society,  i.  83 ;  famous 
for  Hamlet,  i.  91  ;  Gibber's 
eulogium  of,  i.  99-118;  his 
supreme  excellence,  i.  100; 
description  of  his  Hamlet,  i. 
100;  Booth's  veneration  for, 
i.  ioi,note  i ;  his  Hotspur,  i. 
103  ;  his  Brutus,  i.  103  ;  the 
grace  and  harmony  of  his 
elocution,  i.  106;  his  suc 
cess  in  "Alexander  the 
Great,"  i.  1 06,  i.  108;  his  just 
estimate  of  applause,  i.  109  ; 
his  perfect  elocution,  i.  1 1 1 ; 
description  of  his  voice  and 
person,  i.  116;  Kneller's 
portrait  of,  i.  117;  his  last 
appearance,  i.  117  ;  his 
death,i.  1 18;  the  "  Tatler's  " 


eulogium  of,  i.  1 1 8,  note  i ; 
Gildon's  Life  of,  i.  118,  note 
2,  ii.  324,  ii.  337,  note  i,  ii, 
358;  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  re 
turns  to  play  for  his  benefit, 
i.  174;  ill-treated  by  the 
Patentees,  i.  188 ;  makes  a 
party  against  them,  i.  189; 
obtains  a  licence  in  1695, 
i.  192,  note  i,  i.  194  ; 
mimicked  by  Powell,  i.  205, 
i.  207,  note  i ;  his  versatility, 
i.  211  ;  his  difficulty  in 
managing  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  i.  228  ;  as  a  pro 
logue-speaker,  i.  271;  in 
ability  to  keep  order  in  his 
Company,  i.  315;  said  to 
be  specially  favoured  by  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  ii.  18; 
declines  management  in 
1709,  ii.  69  ;  advertisement 
regarding  his  salary  (1709), 
ii.  78,  note  i ;  his  superiority 
to  Wilks  and  Booth,  ii.  245  ; 
Anthony  Aston's  description 
of,  ii.  299 ;  and  the  puppet- 
show  keeper,  ii.  301  •  Bell 
chambers's  memoir  of,  ii.  3  33 . 

Betterton's  Company  (1695  to 
1704),  their  decline,  i.  314 ; 
disorders  in,  i.  315. 

Biblical  narratives  dramatized 
in  the  "  Ludus  Coventrise," 
i.  xxxvii.  et  seq. 

Bibliography  of  Colley  Gibber, 
ii.  289-296. 

Bickerstaffe,  Isaac  (author),  ii. 
288. 


INDEX. 


Bickerstaffe,  John  (actor),  ii. 
77,  note  i,  ii.  94,  note  i ; 
threatens  Gibber  for  reduc 
ing  his  salary,  i.  71,  note  i. 

Bignell,  Mrs.,  ii.  77,  note  i,  ii. 
129,  note  2. 

"  Biographia  Britannica,"  ii. 
360. 

"  Biographia  Dramatica,"  i. 
184,  note  i,  i.  278,  note  i, 
i.  330,  note  i,  ii.  14,  note  i, 
ii-332,  11.336,  ii.  337,  «^i, 
ii.  359,  note  i. 

Bird,  Theophilus,  an  eminent 
actor,  i.  xxvi. 

Blackfriar's  Company,  "  men 
of  grave  and  sober  be 
haviour,"  i.  xxvii. 

Theatre,  i.  xxv.,  i.  xxvi., 

i.  xxviii.,  i.  xlix. ;  its  ex 
cellent  company,  i.  xxiv., 
i.  xxvi. 

Blanc,  Abbe*  Le,  his  account 
of  a  theatre  riot,  i.  278,  note 
i. 

"  Blast  upon  Bays,  A,"  ii.  266. 

"Bloody  Brother,  The,7'  ac 
tors  arrested  while  playing, 
i.  xxx. 

Booth,  Barton,  i.  157,  ii.  36, 
note  i,  ii.  77,  note  i,  ii.  94, 
note  i,  ii.  95,  note  i,  ii.  no, 
ii.  128,  ii.  129,  note  2,  ii.  167, 
ii.  230,  ii.  232,  ii.  320,11.361, 
ii.  363 ;  Memoirs  of,  pub 
lished  immediately  after  his 
death,  i.  5 ;  story  told  by 
him  of  Gibber,  i.  63,  note  i ; 
his  veneration  for  Betterton, 


377 

i.  ioi,  note  i ;  his  indolence 
alluded  to  by  Gibber,  i.  103  ; 
his  reverence  for  tragedy,  i. 
121  ;  his  Morat,  i.  122  ; 
his  Life,  by  Theo.  Gibber, 
quoted,  i.  122,  note  i,  i.  123, 
note  2,  ii.  130,  note  2,  ii.  140, 
note  i ;  his  Henry  VIII.,  i. 
123,  note  2  ;  is  warned  by 
Powell's  excesses  to  avoid 
drinking,  i.  260;  as  a  pro 
logue-speaker,  i.  271;  elects 
to  continue  at  Drury  Lane 
in  1709,  ii.  70 ;  his  marriage, 
ii.  96,  note  i ;  the  reason  of 
the  delay  in  making  him  a 
manager,  ii.  1 14;  his  success 
as  Cato,  ii.  130-133  ;  his 
claim  to  be  made  a  manager 
on  account  of  his  success, 
ii.  130;  supported  by  Lord 
Bolingbroke,  ii.  130,  note  2 ; 
his  name  added  to  the  Li 
cence,  ii.  140 ;  the  terms  of 
his  admission  as  sharer,  ii. 
144 ;  his  suffering  from 
Wilks's  temper,  ii.  155  ;  his 
connection  with  Steele  dur- 
ingthe dispute  about  Steele's 
patent,  ii.  1 93,  note  i;  Wilks's 
jealousy  of,  ii.  223 ;  a  scene 
with  Wilks,  ii.  234-237 ;  and 
Wilks,  their  opinion  of  each 
other,  ii.  240  \  his  deficiency 
in  humour,  ii.  240 ;  formed 
his  style  on  Betterton,  ii. 
241 ;  Gibber's  comparison 
of  Wilks  and  Booth,  ii.  239- 
245  ;  his  Othello  and  Cato, 


378 


INDEX. 


ii.  243 ;  memoir  of,  ii.  254, 
note  i ;  Patent  granted  to 
him,  Wilks,  and  Gibber, 
after  Steele's  death,  ii.  257  ; 
sells  half  of  his  share  of  the 
Patent  to  Highmore,  ii. 

258. 

Booth,  Mrs.  Barton  (see  also 
Santlow,  Hester),  insulted 
by  Capt.  Montague,  i.  76- 
78 ;  sells  the  remainder  of 
Booth's  share  to  Giffard,  ii. 

259- 
Boswell,  James,  his  "Life  of 

Dr.  Johnson,"  quoted,  i.  36, 

note  2,  i.  46,  note  i,  i.  215, 

note  i,  ii.  41,  note  2,  ii.  163, 

note  i. 
Bourgogne,  Hotel  de,  a  theatre 

originally  used  for  religious 

plays,  i.  xxxv. 
Boutell,  Mrs.,   mentioned,   i. 

161,  note  i,  i.  167,  note  2. 
Bowen,    James    (singer),    ii. 

312. 
Bowman  (actor),  memoir  of, 

ii.  211,  note  i  ;  sings  before 

Charles  II.,  ii.  211. 

Mrs.,  ii.  211,  note  i. 

Bowyer,  Michael,  an  eminent 

actor,  i.  xxvi. 
Boy-actresses,     i.     90  ;     still 

played  after  the  appearance 

of  women,  i.  119. 
Bracegirdle,  Mrs.  Anne,  i.  98, 

i.  182,  i.  188,  i.  192,  note  i,  ii. 

300,  ii.  302,  ii.  312,  ii.  337; 

admitted  into  good  society, 

i.  83;  Gibber's  account  of,  i. 


170-174  ;  her  good  charac 
ter,  i.  1 70-172;  her  character 
attacked  by  Bellchambers, 
i.  170,  note  i ;  Tom  Brown's 
scandal  about  her,  i.  170, 
note  i ;  attacked  in  "Poems 
on  Affairs  of  State,"  i.  170, 
note  i ;  her  best  parts,  i.  1 73 ; 
her  retirement,  i.  1 74 ;  me 
moir  of  her,  i.  174,  note  2  ; 
her  rivalry  with  Mrs.  Old- 
field,  i.  174,  note  2  ;  declines 
to  play  some  of  Mrs.  Barry's 
parts,  i.  188-9;  her  retire 
ment,  ii.  69  ;  Anthony 
Aston's  description  of,  ii. 
303  ;  her  attempted  abduc 
tion  by  Capt.  Hill,  ii.  342. 

Bradshaw,  Mrs.,  ii.  77,  note  i, 
ii.  94,  note  i,  ii.  303. 

Brett,  Colonel  Henry,  a  share 
in  the  Drury  Lane  Patent 
presented  to  him  by  Skip- 
with,ii.  32  ;  his  acquaintance 
with  Gibber,  ii.  33 ;  Gibber's 
account  of,  ii.  34-42;  ad 
mires  Gibber's  perriwig,  ii. 
35;  and  the  Countess  of 
Macclesfield,  ii.  39-41 ;  his 
dealings  with  Rich,  ii.  42- 
49,  ii.  56-60  ;  makes  Wilks, 
Estcourt,  and  Gibber  his 
deputies  in  management,  ii. 
56,  note  i;  gives  up  his 
share  to  Skipwith,  ii.  59. 

Mrs.  (see  also  Miss 

Mason,  and  Countess  of 
Macclesfield),  Gibber's  high 
opinion  of  her  taste,  ii.  41, 


INDEX. 


379 


note  2  ;  his  "  Careless  Hus 
band  "  submitted  to  her,  ii. 
41,  note  2;  her  judicious 
treatment  of  her  husband, 
ii.  41,  note  2. 

Bridgwater  (actor),  ii.  260. 

Brown,  Tom,  ii.  348,  ii.  350  j 
his  scandal  on  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle,  i.  170,  note  i. 

Buck,  Sir  George,  his  "  Third 
University  of  England," 
quoted,  i.  xlviii. 

Buckingham,  Duke  of,  ii.  210. 

"Buffoon,  The,"  an  epigram 
on  Gibber's  admission  into 
society,  i.  29,  note  i. 

Bullen,  A.  H.,  his  "Lyrics  from 
Elizabethan  Song-books,"  i. 
21,  note  i. 

Bullock,  Christopher,  ii.  169, 
note  2. 

Mrs.  Christopher,  i.  136, 

note  2. 

William,  i.  194,  L  313, 

i.  332,  ii.  169,  note  2,  ii.  252, 
note  i;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  361. 

Burbage,  Richard,  i.  xxvi. 

Burgess,  Colonel,  killed  Hor- 
den,  an  actor,  i.  303;  his 
punishment,  i.  302,  note  2. 

Burlington,  Earl  of,  ii.  209. 

Burnet,  Bishop,  his  observa 
tions  on  Nell  Gwynne,  ii. 
212;  on  Mrs.  Roberts,  ii. 

212. 

Burney,  Dr.,  his  "  History  of 
Music;"  ii.  55,  note  i,  ii.  89, 
note  i ;  his  MSS.  in  the 


British  Museum,  i.  174,  note 
2,  ii.  198,  note  i,  ii.  224, 
note  i. 

Burt  (actor),  superior  to  his 
successors,  i.  xxiv. ;  appren 
ticed  to  Shank,  i.  xxv.;  and 
to  Beeston,  i.  xxv. ;  a  "  boy- 
actress,"  i.  xxv.;  a  cornet  in 
Charles  I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. ; 
arrested  for  acting,  i.  xxx. 

Butler,  Mrs.  Charlotte,  i.  98, 
i.  237,  ii.  262  ;  Gibber's  ac 
count  of,  i.  163-165;  patro 
nized  by  Charles  II.,  i.  163  ; 
a  good  singer  and  dancer,  i. 
163  ;  a  pleasant  and  clever 
actress,  i.  164;  compared 
with  Mrs.  Oldfield,  i.  164; 
goes  to  the  Dublin  theatre, 
i.  164;  note  regarding  her, 
i.  164,  note  i. 

Byrd,  William,  his  "  Psalmes, 
Sonets,  etc.,"  i.  21,  note  i. 

Byron,  Lord,  a  practical  joke 
erroneously  attributed  to 
him  while  at  Cambridge,  i. 
59,  note  i. 

Cambridge.  See  Trinity  Col 
lege,  Cambridge. 

"  Careless  Husband,"  cast  of, 
i.  308,  note  i. 

Carey,  Henry,  deprived  of  the 
freedom  of  the  theatre  for 
bantering  Gibber,  ii.  226, 
note  2. 

Carlile,  James,  memoir  of,  i. 
84,  note  i  ;  is  killed  at 
Aughrim,  i.  84,  note  i,  i.  85. 


380 


INDEX. 


Cartwright  (actor),  belonged 
to  the  Salisbury  Court 
Theatre,  i.  xxiv. 

Castil-Blaze,  Mons.,  his  "La 
Danse  et  les  Ballets  "quoted, 
i.  316,  note  i. 

Catherine  of  Arragon,  pageants 
at  her  marriage  with  Prince 
Arthur,  i.  xliii. 

"  Cato,"  by  Addison,  cast  of, 
ii.  1 20,  note  i ;  its  success, 
ii.  127-133;  at  Oxford,  ii. 
137;  its  influence,  ii.  26; 
Gibber's  Syphax  in,  i.  122. 

Chalmers,  George,  his  "Apo 
logy  for  the  Shakspeare- 
Believers,"  i.  276,  note  i,  i. 
277,  note  i. 

"  Champion "  (by  Henry 
Fielding),  quoted,  i.  i,  note 
i,*i.  38,  note  i,  i.  50,  note  2, 
i.  63,  note  i,  i.  69,  note  i,  i. 
93,  note  2,  i.  288,  note  i,  ii. 
54,  note  2. 

Charke,  Charlotte,  ii,  285. 

(musician),  husband  of 

Gibber's  daughter,  ii.  285. 

Charles  II.  mentioned,  i.  120, 
i.  133  ;  his  escape  from 
Presbyterian  tyranny,  i.  22  ; 
Gibber  sees  him  at  White 
hall,  i.  30 ;  writes  a  funeral 
oration  on  his  death  while 
still  at  school,  i.  3 1 ;  Patents 
granted  by  him  to  Davenant 
and  Killigrew,  i.  87  j  wittily 
reproved  by  Killigrew,  i. 
87,  note  2  ;  called  Anthony 
Leigh  "his  actor,"  i.  154; 


his  Court  theatricals,  ii.  209 ; 
and  Bowman  the  actor,  ii. 
2 1 1 ;  his  opinion  of  Sand- 
ford's  acting,  ii.  306. 

Chesterfield,  Lord,  his  powers 
of  raillery,  i.  13,  i.  14 ;  refers 
ironically  to  Gibber  in 
" Common  Sense,"  i.  7 1,  note 
i ;  opposes  the  Licensing 
Act  of  1737,  i.  289. 

Chetwood,  William  Rufus, 
Gibber  acts  for  his  benefit, 
ii.  265  ;  his  "  History  of  the 
Stage,"  i.  165,  note  i,  i.  207, 
note  i,  i.  244,  note  i,  ii.  140, 
note  i,  ii.  169,  note  3,  ji.  319- 
320,  ii.  331,  ii.  356,  ii.  364. 

"Children  of  her  Majesty's 
Chapel,"  i.  xxxvi. 

"  Children  of  Paul's,"  i.  xxxvi. 

Churchill,  General,  ii.  369, 
note  2. 

Lady  (Duchess  of  Marl- 
borough),  i.  67;  Gibber 
attends  her  at  table,  i.  68  ; 
his  admiration  of  her,  i.  68  ; 
her  beauty  and  good  fortune, 
i.  69. 

Gibber,  Caius  Gabriel,  father 
of  Colley  Gibber,  i.  7,  note  2 ; 
his  statues  and  other  works, 
i.  8 ;  his  marriage,  i.  8,  note 
i ;  his  death,  i.  8,  note  i  ; 
presents  a  statue  to  Win 
chester  College,  i.  56;  em 
ployed  at  Chatsworth,  i.  58  ; 
statues  carved  by  him  for 
Trinity  College  Library, 
Cambridge,  i.  59. 


INDEX. 


Gibber,  Colley,  Account  of  his 

Life  :— 

His  Apology  written  at 
Bath,  i.  i,  note  i]  his  rea 
sons  for  writing  his  own 
Life,  i.  5,  i.  6 ;  his  birth, 
i.  7 ;  his  baptism  recorded, 
i.  7,  note  2 ;  sent  to 
school  at  Grantham,  i.  9 ; 
his  character  at  school,  i. 
9 ;  writes  an  ode  at  school 
on  Charles  II.'s  death,  i. 
31  ;  and  on  James  II.'s 
coronation,  i.  33 ;  his 
prospects  in  life,  i.  55  ;  his 
first  taste  for  the  stage,  i. 
58;  stifles  his  love  for 
the  stage  and  desires  to 
go  to  the  University,  i. 
58  ;  serves  against  James 
II.  in  1688,  i.  61;  attends 
Lady  Churchill  at  table,  i. 
68 ;  his  admiration  of  her, 
i.  68  ;  disappointed  in  his 
expectation  of  receiving  a 
commission  in  the  army, 
i.  7 1 ;  petitions  the  Duke 
of  Devonshire  for  prefer 
ment,  i.  73  ;  determines 
to  be  an  actor,  i.  73 ; 
hangs  about  Downes  the 
prompter,  i.  74,  note  i  ; 
his  account  of  his  own 
first  appearances,  i.  180 ; 
his  first  salary,  i.  181  ; 
description  of  his  personal 
appearance,  i.  182;  his 
first  success,  i.  183  ;  his 
marriage,  i.  184;  plays 


Kynaston's  part  in  "  The 
Double  Dealer,"  i.  185  ; 
remains  with  Patentees  in 
1695,  i.  193;  writes  his 
first  Prologue,  i.  195  ;  not 
allowed  to  speak  it,  i.  196 ; 
forced  to  play  Fondlewife, 
i.  206 ;  plays  it  in  imita 
tion  of  Dogget,  i.  208  ;  his 
slow  advancement  as  an 
actor,  i.  209,  i.  215  ;  writes 
his  first  play,  "  Love's  Last 
Shift,"  i.  212;  as  Sir 
Novelty  Fashion,  i.  213  ; 
encouraged  and  helped  by 
Vanbrugh,  i.  215  ;  begins 
to  advance  as  an  actor,  i. 
218;  better  in  comedy 
than  tragedy,  1.221;  tragic 
parts  played  by  him,  i. 
222  ;  his  lago  abused, 
i.  222,  note  i  ;  descrip 
tion  of  his  Justice  Shal 
low,  i.  224,  note  2  j  leaves 
Drury  Lane  for  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields,  i.  232,  note  i ; 
returns  to  Drury  Lane,  i. 
232,  note  i ;  his  "  Love  in 
a  Riddle "  condemned, 
i.  244-250;  accused  of 
having  Gay's  "Polly" 
vetoed,  i.  247  ;  his  Damon 
and  Phillida,  i.  249,  note 
i ;  consulted  by  Rich  on 
matters  of  management, 
i.  253  ;  his  disputes  with 
Wilks,  i.  258;  his  "Wo- 
man's  Wit"  a  failure,  i. 
264;  distinguished  by 


382 


INDEX, 


Gibber,  Colley,  Account  of  his 
Life — continued. 

Dryden,  i.  269 ;  attacked 
by  Jeremy  Collier,  i.  274; 
his  adaptation  of  "  Rich 
ard  III.,"  i.  139;  his 
"  Richard  III."  mutilated 
by  the  Master  of  the 
Revels,  i.  2  75 ;  attacked  by 
George  Chalmers,  i.  276, 
note  i,  i.  277,  note  i;  de 
clines  to  pay  fees  to  Killi- 
grew,  Master  of  Revels,  i. 
277  ;  his  surprise  at  Mrs. 
Oldfield's  excellence,  i. 
307 ;  writes  "The Careless 
Husband  "  chiefly  for  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  i.  308 ;  finishes 
"  The  Provoked  Hus 
band,"  begun  by  Van- 
brugh,  i.  311,  note  i  ',  in 
vited  to  join  Swiney  at  the 
Haymarket,i.333 ;  leaves 
Rich  and  goes  to  Swiney, 
i.  337  ;  his  "Lady's  Last 
Stake,"  ii.  2;  his  "Double 
Gallant," ii.  3  ;  his  "Mar 
riage  a  la  Mode,"  ii.  5  ; 
declines  to  act  on  the 
same  stage  as  rope-dan 
cers,  ii.  7 ;  advises  Col. 
Brett  regarding  the  Patent, 
ii.  33,  ii.  42  ;  his  first  in 
troduction  to  him,  ii.  33  ; 
his  account  of  Brett,  34- 
42  ;  as  Young  Reveller 
in  "  Greenwich  Park,"  ii. 
41  ;  made  Deputy-mana 
ger  by  Brett,  ii.  56,  note 


i ;  advertisement  regard 
ing  his  salary,  1709,  ii. 
78,  note  i ;  made  joint 
manager  with  Swiney  and 
others  in  1709,  ii.  69;  and 
his  fellow-managers,  Wilks 
and  Dogget,  ii.  no,  ii. 
117,  ii.  1 2 1,  ii.  127;  medi 
ates  between  Wilks  and 
Dogget,  ii.  122  ;  his 
troubles  with  Wilks,  ii. 
124-  his  views  and  con 
duct  on  Booth's  claiming 
to  become  a  manager,  ii. 
131-133,  ii.  140-143;  his 
meetings  with  Dogget 
after  their  law-suit,  ii. 
150;  his  "Nonjuror,"  i. 
177,  note  i,  ii.  185-190  ; 
accused  of  stealing  his 
"Nonjuror,"  ii.  186,  note 
i ;  makes  the  Jacobites  his 
enemies,  ii.  185-187  ;  re 
ported  dead  by  "Mist's 
Weekly  Journal,"  ii.  188; 
his  "Provoked  Husband" 
hissed  by  his  Jacobite 
enemies,  ii.  189;  his  ap 
pointment  as  Poet  Lau 
reate  in  1730,  i.  32,  note 
i ;  the  reason  of  his  being 
made  Laureate,  ii.  190; 
his  "Ximena,"  ii.  163, 
note  i ;  his  suspension  by 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 
ii.  193,  note  i  ;  his  con 
nection  with  Steele  during 
the  dispute  about  Steele's 
Patent,  ii.  193,  note  i  j  his 


INDEX. 


383 


account  of  a  suit  brought 
by  Steele  against  his  part 
ners,  ii.  196-208 ;  his 
pleading  in  person  in  the 
suit  brought  by  Steele,  ii. 
199-207 ;  his  success  in 
pleading,  ii.  198,  note  i, 
ii.  207 ;  assisted  Steele  in 
his  "  Conscious  Lovers," 
ii.  206 ;  his  playing  of 
Wolsey  before  George  I., 
ii.  216;  admitted  into 
good  society,  i.  29  ;  elec 
ted  a  member  of  White's, 
i.  29,  note  i;  an  epigram 
on  his  admission  into 
good  society,  i.  29,  note  i ; 
Patent  granted  to  Gibber, 
Wilks,  and  Booth  after 
Steele's  death,  ii.  257 ; 
sells  his  share  of  the 
Patent  to  Highmore,  ii. 
258  ;  his  sale  of  his  share 
in  the  Patent,  i.  297 ;  his 
shameful  treatment  of 
Highmore,  ii.  259 ;  his 
retirement,  ii.  255  ;  gives 
a  reason  for  retiring  from 
the  stage,  i.  178,  i.  179, 
note  i ;  his  appearances 
after  his  retirement,  ii. 
261,  ii.  263,  ii.  264,  ii. 
268 ;  his  remarks  on  his 
successful  reappearances, 
i.  179;  his  last  appear 
ances,  i.  6,  note  i  ;  his 
adaptation  of  "  King 
John,"  i.  6,  note  i ;  his 
"  Papal  Tyranny  in  the 


Reign  of  King  John " 
withdrawn  from  rehear 
sal,  ii.  263  ;  his  "  Papal 
Tyranny"  produced,  ii. 
268  ;  its  success,  ii.  270 ; 
his  quarrel  with  Pope,  ii. 
270-283 ;  and  Horace 
Walpole,  ii.  284;  his 
death  and  burial,  ii.  284; 
list  of  his  plays,  ii.  286-7  > 
bibliography  of,  ii.  289- 
296 ;  Anthony  Aston' s 
"Supplement"  to,  ii.  297. 
Gibber,  Colley,  Attacks  on 
him  : — 

Commonly  accused  of 
cowardice,  i.  71,  note  i  ; 
threatened  by  John 
Bickerstaffe,  for  reducing 
his  salary,  i.  71,  note  i ; 
accused  of  "  venom  "  to 
wards  Booth,  i.  123,  note 
2  •  abused  by  Dennis,  i. 
66,  note  i,  ii.  168,  note  i ; 
his  offer  of  a  reward  for 
discovery  of  Dennis,  i. 
41,  note  i,  ii.  168,  note  i ; 
charged  with  envy  of  Est- 
court,  i.  1 15,  note  2  ;  Field 
ing's  attacks  upon,  quoted 
(see  under  Fielding,  Hy.) ; 
his  galling  retaliation  on 
Fielding,  i.  286 ;  said  to 
have  been  thrashed  by 
Gay,  i.  71,  note  i;  "The 
Laureat's"  attacks  upon 
(see  "  Laureat ") ;  satirized 
on  his  appointment  as  Lau 
reate,  i.  46 ;  epigrams  on 


INDEX. 


Cibber,    Colley,    Attacks    on 
him — continued. 

his  appointment  quoted, 
i.  46,  note  i ;  writes  verses 
in  his  own  dispraise,  i.  47  ; 
his  Odes  attacked  by 
Fielding,  i.  36,  note  2; 
and  by  Johnson,  i.  36, 
note  2 ;  charges  against 
him  of  levity  and  impiety, 
i.  58,  note  i  ;  accused  of 
negligence  in  acting,  i. 
241,  note  i;  attacked  by 
the  daily  papers,  i.  41 ; 
his  disregard  of  them,  i. 
41,  i.  44,  note  i  ;  on 
newspaper  attacks,  ii.  167 ; 
on  principle  never  an 
swered  newspaper  attacks, 
ii.  1 68;  his  famous  quarrel 
with  Pope,  ii.  270;  "The 
Nonjuror "  a  cause  of 
Pope's  enmity  to  Cibber, 
ii.  189,  note  i ;  attacked  by 
Pope  for  countenancing 
pantomimes,  ii.  182,  note 
i;  his  reply,  ii.  182,  note  i ; 
his  first  allusion  to  Pope's 
enmity,  i.  2 1 ;  his  opinion 
of  Pope's  attacks,  i.  35  ; 
his  Odes,  i.  36,  note  2 ; 
supposed  to  be  referred 
to  in  Preface  to  Shad- 
well's  "Fair  Quaker  of 
Deal,"  ii.  95,  note  i ; 
attacked  for  mutilating 
Shakespeare,  ii.  263 ;  ac 
cused  of  stealing  "  Love's 
Last  Shift,"  i.  214,  and 


"The  Careless  Hus 
band,"  i.  215,  note  i  ; 
satirized  by  Swift,  i.  52, 
note  2;  his  defence  of  his 
follies,  i.  2,  i.  19. 
Cibber,  Colley,  Criticisms  of 

Contemporaries : — 

On  the  production  of  Addi- 
son's  "Cato,"  ii.  120,  ii. 
127-133;  his  description 
of  Mrs.  Barry,  i.  158-161; 
on  the  excellence  of  Bet- 
terton  and  his  contempo 
raries,  i.  175;  his  eulo- 
gium  of  Betterton,  i.  99- 
118;  his  description  of 
Mrs.  Betterton,  i.  161- 
162;  his  account  of  Booth 
and  Wilks  as  actors,  ii. 
239-245 ;  his  description 
of  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  i. 
170-4;  his  description  of 
Mrs.  Butler,  i.  163-165; 
his  high  opinion  of  Mrs. 
Brett's  taste,  ii.  41,  note 
2  ;  submits  every  scene 
of  his  "Careless  Hus 
band"  to  Mrs.  Brett, ii.  41, 
note  2  ;  on  his  own  act 
ing,  i.  220-226;  his  "Epi 
logue  upon  Himself,"  ii. 
265  ;  on  Dogget's  acting, 
ii.  158 ;  his  low  opinion 
of  Garrick,  ii.  268;  his 
description  of  Kynaston, 
i.  120-127;  his  descrip 
tion  of  Leigh,  i.  145-154; 
his  description  of  Mrs. 
Leigh,  i.  162-3;  his  de- 


INDEX. 


385 


scription  of  Mountfort,  i. 
127-130;  his  description 
of  Mrs.  Mountfort,  1.165- 
169;  his  praise  of  Nico- 
lini,  ii.  51;   his  descrip 
tion  of  Nokes,  i.  141-145  ; 
his  hyperbolical  praise  of 
Mrs.      Oldfield's      Lady 
Townly,  i.  51,  i.  312,  note 
3;  on  Rich's  misconduct, 
ii.  46 ;  his  description  of 
Sandford,  i.  130;  his  de 
scription  of  Cave  Under- 
hill,  i.  154-156;  his  un 
fairness  to  Verbruggen,  i. 
157,  note  2;  his  account 
of  Wilks  and  Booth  as 
actors,   ii.    239-245  ;    on 
Wilks's  Hamlet,  i.   100; 
praises  Wilks's  diligence, 
ii.  1 60,  ii.  239 ;  on  Wilks's 
love   of  acting,  ii.  225  ; 
on  Wilks's  temper,  ii.  155, 
ii.    171;    a    scene    with 
Wilks,  234-237. 
Gibber,    Colley,     Reflections 
and  Opinions : — 
On  acting,  i.  209,  i.  221 ;  on 
acting    villains,    i.    131- 
135,  i.  222  ;  on  the  preju 
dice  against  actors,  i.  74- 
84 ;  his  advice  to  drama 
tists,  ii.  14;  on  applause, 
i.   221,   ii.   214;   on  the 
severity  of  audiences,  i. 
175;    on   politeness    in 
audiences,    ii.    247 ;    on 
troubles  with  authors,  ii. 
249;    on    the    effect   of 


comedy-acting,    i.    140 ; 
on    Court    influence,   ii. 
103;  on  criticism,  i.  52; 
on  his   critics,    ii.    220; 
on  humour  in  tragedy,  i. 
1 2 1 ;     on     the     Italian 
Opera,  ii.  50-55;  on  the 
difficulty     of    managing 
Italian    singers,   ii.    88; 
on   laughter,  i.    23 ;    on 
the  liberty  of  the  stage,  i. 
289;  on   the  validity  of 
the  Licence,  i.    284;   on 
the  power   of  the  Lord 
Chamberlain,    ii.    10-23; 
his  principles  as  manager, 
i.   190;  on  management, 
ii.  60;  on  judicious  ma 
nagement,  ii.  74 ;  on  the 
duties    and   responsibili 
ties   of  management,  ii. 
199-207  ;  on  the  success 
of  his    management,   ii. 
245  ;  on  morality  in  plays, 
i.   265,   i.   272;   on    the 
power  of  music,  i.  112; 
on     Oxford     theatricals, 
ii.    133-139;    on   panto 
mimes,   i.    93,    ii.    1 80; 
on  prologue-speaking,   i. 
270;     on     the    difficul 
ties     of     promotion     in 
the  theatre,  ii.   223;  on 
the   Queen's  Theatre  in 
the   Haymarket,  i.  322; 
on  raillery,  i.  1 1 ;   on  the 
Revolution    of   1688,    i. 
60-63  i   on  satire,  i.  37 ; 
on  the  reformation  of  the 


386 


INDEX. 


Gibber,  Colley,  Reflections 
and  Opinions — continued. 
stage,  i.  8 1 ;  on  making 
the  stage  useful,  ii.  24- 
31 ;  on  the  benefit  of 
only  one  theatre,  i.  92, 
ii.  i39,ii.  178-185;  on  the 
shape  of  the  theatre,  ii. 
84;  on  his  own  vanity, 
ii.  182. 

Miscellaneous: — 

Profit  arising  from  his  works, 
i.  3,  note  2 ;  frequently 
the  object  of  envy,  i.  33  ; 
his  obtrusive  loyalty,  i. 
33,  note  i,  i.  66 ;  banters 
his  critics  by  allowing  his 
"Apology"  to  be  impu 
dent  and  ill-written,  i. 
43  •  his  easy  temper  under 
criticism  and  abuse,  i.  50; 
confesses  the  faults  of  his 
writing,  i.  50  ;  his  "  qua 
vering  tragedy  tones,"  i. 
no,  note  i.;  his  playing 
of  Richard  III.  an  imi 
tation  of  Sandford,  i. 
139;  his  "Careless  Hus 
band"  quoted,  i.  148, 
note  i ;  his  wigs,  ii. 
36,  note  i ;  his  treatment 
of  authors,  ii.  37,  note  i  > 
reproved  by  Col.  Brett 
for  his  treatment  of 
authors,  ii.  37,  note  i  ;  his 
dedication  of  the  "Wife's 
Resentment"  to  the  Duke 
of  Kent,  ii.  46 ;  cen 
sured  for  his  treatment  of 


authors,  ii.  251,  note  i; 
his  satisfaction  in  looking 
back  on    his   career,   ii. 
115;     his     acknowledg 
ment  of  Steele's  services 
to   the   theatre,  ii.   162 ; 
his    dedication  of  "Xi- 
mena"  to  Steele,  ii.  163, 
note  i ;  his   omission   of 
many    material    circum 
stances  in  the  history  of 
the  stage,  ii.  193,  note  i ; 
Wilks  his   constant  sup 
porter    and  admirer,    ii. 
226,  note  i  ;  his  "  Odes," 
ii.   283 ;  hissed  as  Phor- 
bas,    ii.    309;   Aston   on 
Gibber's  acting,  ii.  312. 
Gibber,  Mrs.  Colley,  her  mar 
riage,  i.  184;  her  character, 
i.    184,  note  i ;  her  father's 
objection  to  her  marriage, 
i.  184,  note  i. 

Lewis  (brother  of  Col 
ley),  admitted  to  Winches 
ter  College,  i.  56;  Gibber's 
affection  for,  i.  57  ;  his  great 
abilities,  i.  5  7  ;  his  death,  i. 

57- 

Susanna  Maria  (wife  of 

Theophilus),    ii.    267,    note 
i,  ii.  270,  ii.  285 ;  her  speak 
ing  described,  i.  no,  note  i. 

Theophilus,  ii.  187,  note 


i,  ii.  262;  mentioned  ironi 
cally  by  Lord  Chesterfield, 
i.  71,  note  i  ;  in  "Art  and 
Nature,"  i.  152,  note  i  ;  acts 
as  his  father's  deputy  in 


INDEX. 


387 


management,  ii.  258 ;  heads 
a  mutiny  against  Highmore, 
ii.  259 ;  account  of  him,  ii. 
285;  his  "Life  of  Booth" 
quoted,  i.  122,  note  i,  i.  123, 
note  2,  ii.  130,  note  2,  ii.  140, 
note  i. 

"  Circe,"  an  opera,  i.  94. 

Civil  War,  the,  closing  of  thea 
tres  during,  i.  89. 

Clark,  actor,  memoir  of,  i.  96, 
note  3. 

Cleveland,  Duchess  of,  and 
Goodman,  ii.  330. 

Clive,  Mrs.  Catherine,  ii.  260, 
ii.  268,  note  i,  ii.  269 ;  her 
acting  in  "  Love  in  a  Rid 
dle,"  i.  244,  note  i. 

Clun,  a  "boy-actress,"  i.  xxiv. 

Cock-fighting  prohibited  in 
1654,  i.  Hi. 

Cockpit,  The  (or  Phoenix),  i. 
xxv.;  its  company,  i.  xxvi., 
i.  xxviii.,  i.  xlix. ;  Rhodes's 
Company  at,  i.xxviii.;  secret 
performances  at,  during  the 
Commonwealth,  i.  xxx. 

Coke,  Rt.  Hon.  Thomas,  Vice- 
Chamberlain,  his  inter 
ference  in  Dogget's  dispute 
with  his  partners,  ii.  146. 

Coleman,  Mrs.,  the  first  Eng 
lish  actress,  i.  90,  note  i. 

Colley,  the  family  of,  i.  8,  i.  9. 

Jane,  mother  of  Colley 

Cibber,  i.  8,  note  i. 

Collier,  Jeremy,  i.  170,  note  i, 
i.  268,  note  2,  i.  273,  i.  274, 
ii.  233,  note  2  ;  his  "Short 
II. 


View  of  the  Profaneness,  &c., 
of  the  English  Stage,"  i.  xxi., 
i.  xxxiii.,  i.  272,  i.  289;  his 
arguments  confuted,  i.  xxxiii. 

Collier,  William,  M.P.,  i.  97, 
note  2,  ii.  172,  ii.  175;  pro 
cures  a  licence  for  Drury 
Lane,  ii.  91  ;  evicts  Rich, 
ii.  92  ;  appoints  Aaron  Hill 
his  manager,  ii.  94,  note  i ; 
his  unjust  treatment  of 
Swiney,  ii.  101,  ii.  107 ; 
takes  the  control  of  the 
opera  from  Swiney,  ii.  102  ; 
farms  the  opera  to  Aaron 
Hill,  ii.  105  ;  forces  Swiney 
to  resume  the  opera,  ii.  107  ; 
made  partner  with  Cibber, 
Wilks,  and  Dogget  at  Drury 
Lane,  ii.  107  ;  his  shabby 
treatment  of  his  partners, 
ii.  108,  ii.  141  •  his  downfall, 
ii.  109;  replaced  by  Steele 
in  the  Licence,  ii.  164. 

Comedy-acting,  the  effect  of, 
i.  140. 

"  Common  Sense,"  a  paper  by 
Lord  Chesterfield,  quoted, 
i.  71,  note  i. 

"  Comparison  between  the  two 
Stages,"  by  Gildon,  i.  189, 
note  i,  i.  194,  note  i,  i.  194, 
note  5,  i.  214,  note  i,  i.  216, 
note  i,  i.  218,  note  2,  i.  231, 
note  2,  i.  232,  note  2,  i.  233, 
note  i,  i.  254,  note  i,  i.  303, 
note  i,  i.  306,  note  i,  i.  316, 
note  2,  ii.  328,  note  2,  ii.  348, 
ii.  356,  note  i,  ii.  362. 


B  B 


388 


INDEX. 


Complexion,  black,  of  evil 
characters  on  the  stage,  i. 

J33- 

Congreve,  William,  i.  185,  i. 
274,  i.  284,  ii.  36,  note  i,  ii. 
no,  ii.  159,  ii.  251,  ii.  302; 
Memoir  of,  mentioned,  i.  5, 
note  i  ;  his  "  Love  for 
Love,"  i.  155,  i.  197  ;  scan 
dal  about  him  and  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  i.  170,  note  i ; 
a  sharer  with  Betterton  in 
his  Licence  in  1695,  i.  192, 
note  i,  i.  197  ;  his  "  Mourn 
ing  Bride,"  i.  199;  his  "Way 
of  the  World,"  i.  200;  his 
opinion  of  "Love's  Last 
Shift,"!.  220;  and  Vanbrugh 
manage  the  Queen's  Thea 
tre,  i.  320,  i.  325  ;  gives  up 
his  share  in  the  Queen's 
Theatre,  i.  326  ;  and  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  ii.  304. 

Cooper,  Lord  Chancellor,  ii. 
149,  ii.  174. 

Coquelin,  Constant,  his  con 
troversy  with  Henry  Irving 
regarding  Diderot's  "Para- 
doxe  sur  le  Come'dien,"  i. 
103,  note  i. 

Corelli,  Arcangelo,  ii.  247. 

Cory  (actor),  ii.  169,  note  2. 

Court,  theatrical  performances 
at,  see  Royal  Theatricals; 
interference  of  the,  in  the 
management  of  the  stage, 
i.  89. 

Covent  Garden,  Drury  Lane 
theatre  sometimes  described 


as  the  theatre  in,  i.  88,  note 
i. 

Covent  Garden  Theatre,  i.  92, 
note  i. 

Coventry,  the  old  Leet  Book 
of,  i.  xl. 

Craggs,  Mr.  Secretary,  ii.  96, 
note  i,  ii.  165,  ii.  333  ; 
chastises  Captain  Montague 
for  insulting  Miss  Santlow, 
i.  77. 

Craufurd,  David,  his  account 
of  the  disorders  in  Better- 
ton's  company,  i.  315,  note  2. 

Crawley,  keeper  of  a  puppet- 
show,  ii.  301. 

Creation,  the,  dramatized  in 
the  "Ludus  Coventrise,"  i. 
xxxviii. 

Cromwell,  Lady  Mary,  i.  267, 
note  i. 

Cross,  Mrs.,  i.  334,  note  i. 

Richard,  prompter  of 

Drury  Lane,  i.  181,  note  2. 

Crowne,  John,  his  masque  of 
"  Calisto,"  ii.  209. 

Cumberland,  Richard,  his  de 
scription  of  Mrs.  Gibber's 
speaking,  i.  no,  note  i. 

Cunningham,  Lieut-Col.  F., 
doubts  if  Ben  Jonson  was 
an  unsuccessful  actor,  i.  85, 
note  i. 

Curll,  Edmund,  his  "  History 
of  the  Stage,"  i.  96,  note  4? 
i.  174,  note  2,  ii.  357  ;  his 
"  Life  of  Mrs.  Oldfield,"  i. 
305,  note  2  ;  his  memoirs  of 
Wilks,  i.  5,  note  i. 


INDEX. 


389 


Curtain  Theatre,  the,  men 
tioned  by  Stow  as  recently 
erected,  i.  xlviii. 

Cuzzoni,  Francesca,  her 
rivalry  with  Faustina,  ii.  89. 

"Cynthia's  Revels,"  played  by 
the  Children  of  her  Majesty's 
Chapel,  i.  xxxvi. 


"Daily  Courant,"  quoted,  ii. 
175,  note  i. 

Daly,  Augustin,  his  Company 
of  Comedians,  ii.  289. 

Dancers  and  singers  intro 
duced  by  Davenant,  i.  94. 

Davenant,  Alexander,  ii.  32, 
note  i ;  his  share  in  the 
Patent,  i.  181,  note  i. 

Dr.  Charles,  ii.  324. 

Sir  William,  i.  181,  note 

i,  i.  197,  note  3,  ii.  179,  note 
i,  ii.  334  ;  first  introduces 
scenery,  i.  xxxii. ;    copy  of 
his  patent,  i.  liii. ;  Memoir 
of,  i.  87,  note  i  ;  Poet  Lau 
reate,  i.  87,  note  i ;  receives 
a  patent  from  Charles  I.,  i. 
87,  note  i ;  from  Charles  II., 
i.  87  ;   his  company  worse 
than  Killigrew's,  i.  93  ;  he 
introduces    spectacle     and 
opera  to  attract  audiences, 
i.    94 ;    unites   with    Killi 
grew's,  i.   96  ;    his   "  Mac 
beth,"  ii.  229,  note  i. 

Davies,  Thomas,  his  "  Dra 
matic  Miscellanies,"  i.  3, 
note  2,  i.  41,  note  i,  i.  58, 


note  i,  i.  71,  note  i,  i.  74, 
note  i,  i.  90,  note  I,  i.  101, 
note  i,  i.  153,  note  i,  i.  166, 
note  i,  i.  179,  note  i,  i.  181, 
note  2,  i.  192,  note  i,  i.  214, 
note  2,  i.  222,  note  i,  i.  224, 
note  2,  i.  241,  note  i,  i.  273, 
note  i,  i.  274,  note  i,  i.  302, 
note  2,  i.  330,  note  i,  ii.  36, 
note  i,  ii.  211,  note  i,  ii.  216, 
note  i,  ii.  226,  note  i,  ii.  230, 
note  i,  ii.  233,  note  3,  ii.  240, 
note  i,  ii.  263,  note  i,  ii. 
268,  note  i,  ii.  325,  note  i, 


352,  ii.  354,  ii.  355,  note  i, 
ii.  358,  ii.  361,  ii.  363,  ii. 
369  ;  his  "  Life  of  Garrick," 
i.  lv.,  note  i,  i.  283,  note  2, 
ii.  259. 

Davis,  Mary  (Moll),  i.  91, 
note  i. 

Denmark,  Prince  of,  his  sup 
port  of  William  of  Orange, 
i.  67,  i.  70. 

Dennis,  John,  i.  41,  note  2, 
ii.  361  ;  abuses  Gibber  for 
his  loyalty,  i.  66,  note  i  ; 
accuses  Gibber  of  stealing 
his  "Love's  Last  Shift,"  i. 
215;  his  attacks  on  Steele 
and  Gibber,  ii.  168,  note 
i,  ii.  176,  note  i  ;  attacks 
Wilks,  ii.  226,  note  2  ;  abuses 
one  of  the  actors  of  his 
"Comic  Gallant,"  ii.  252, 
note  i. 

"  Deserving  Favourite,  The," 
i.  xxv. 


390 


INDEX, 


Devonshire,  Duke  of,  ii.  305  ; 
his  quarrel  with  James  II., 
i.  72;  Gibber  presents  a 
petition  to,  i.  73. 

Diderot,  Denis,  his  "Paradoxe 
sur  le  Comedien,  i.  103, 
note  i. 

Dillworth,  W.  H.,  his  "  Life  of 
Pope,"  ii.  278,  note  i. 

Dixon,  a  member  of  Rhodes's 
company,  i.  163,  note  i. 

Dobson,  Austin,  his  "  Field 
ing  "  quoted,  i.  286,  note  i, 
i.  287,  note  3,  i.  288,  note  i. 

Dodington,  Bubb,  mentioned 
by  Bellchambers,  i.  1 4,  note  i . 

Dodsley,  Robert,  purchased 
the  copyright  of  Gibber's 
"  Apology,"  i.  3,  note  2. 

Dogget,  Thomas,  i.  157,  ii. 
no,  ii.  227,  ii.  314,"-  36j; 
his  excellence  in  Fondle- 
wife,  i.  206  ;  Gibber  plays 
Fondlewife  in  imitation  of, 
i.  208 ;  his  intractability  in 
Betterton's  Company, i.  229 ; 
deserts  Betterton  at  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields,  and  comes 
to  Drury  Lane,  i.  229;  ar 
rested  for  deserting  Drury 
Lane,  ii.  21;  defies  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  ii.  21  ; 
wins  his  case,  ii.  22  ;  made 
joint  manager  with  Swiney 
and  others  in  1709,  ii.  69; 
his  characteristics  as  a  mana 
ger,  ii.  in,  ii.  117;  his 
behaviour  on  Booth's  claim 
ing  to  become  a  manager,  ii. 


131,  ii.  141 ;  retires  because 
of  Booth's  being  made  a 
manager,  ii.  143 ;  his  refusal 
to  come  to  any  terms  after 
Booth's  admission,  ii.  145  ; 
goes  to  law  for  his  rights,  ii. 
149;  the  result,  ii.  150; 
Wilks's  temper,  the  real 
reason  of  his  retirement,  ii. 
150-155 ;  shows  a  desire  to 
return  to  the  stage,  ii.  157  ; 
his  final  appearances,  ii.  1 58 ; 
Gibber's  account  of  his  ex 
cellence,  ii.  158  ;  Anthony 
Aston's  description  of,  ii. 
308. 

Doran,  Dr.  John,  his  "  Annals 
of  the  Stage,"  i.  88,  note  3, 
i.  130,  note  i,  i.  i6i,n0fe  3,  ii. 
62,  note  i,  ii.  284. 

Dorset,  Earl  of,  ii.  305  ;  has 
Leigh's  portrait  painted  in 
"The  Spanish  Friar,"  i.  146 ; 
when  Lord  Chamberlain, 
supports  Betterton  in  1694- 
1695,  i.  192  ;  compliments 
Gibber  on  his  first  play,  i. 
214. 

Dorset  Garden,  Duke's  Thea 
tre,  i.  xxxii. 

Theatre,  built  for  Dave- 
nan  t's  Company,  i.  88, 
note  2  ;  the  subscribers  to, 
called  Adventurers,  i.  97, 
note  i. 

"  Double  Dealer,  The,"  i.  185, 
note  i. 

"  Double  Gallant,"  cast  of,  ii. 
3,  note  2. 


INDEX. 


391 


Dowries,  John,  his  "Roscius 
Anglicanus,"  i.  83,  note  i,  i. 
84,  note  i,  i.  96,  note  3, 
i.  114,  note  i,  i.  127,  note  2, 
i.  130,  note  i,  i.  141,  note 
i,  i.  146,  note  i,  i.  163, 
note  i,  i.  1 8 1,  «<?/<?  2,  i.  187, 
2,  i.  192,  note  i,  i.  197, 

1,  i.  197,  «<?/£  2,  i.  316, 

2,  i.  320,  note  2,  i.  333, 
tiote  i,  ii.  158,  note  3,  ii.  320, 
11.323,11.328,11.330,11.332, 
11.334,11.340,11.341,11.342, 
11.346,11.347,11.348,11.349, 
11.350,11.356,11.359,11.360, 
11.  361,  11.   362;    attended 
constantly  by  Gibber    and 
Verbruggen  in  hope  of  em 
ployment   on  the  stage,   i. 
74,   note   i  ;   the  "Tatler" 
publishes  a  supposed  letter 
from,  ii.  75. 

"Dramatic  Censor,"  1811,  ii. 
57,  note  i,  ii.  79,  note  2. 

Dramatists,  Gibber's  advice  to, 
ii.  14. 

Drury  Lane  Theatre,  i.  92, 
note  i  ;  opened  by  King's 
Company,  i.  xxxii. ;  built 
for  Killigrew's  Company,  i. 
88;  sometimes  called  "the 
theatre  in  Covent  Garden," 
i.  88,  note  i ;  desertion  from 
in  1733,  i.  283;  Company 
(1695),  their  improvement, 
i.  314;  its  Patent,  ii.  31  ; 
its  original  construction,  ii. 
8 1  ;  why  altered,  ii.  Si ; 
under  W.  Collier's  manage 


ment,  1709,  ii.  91;  report 
on  its  stability,  ii.  176-7. 
Dryden,  John,  ii.  163,  note  i, 
ii.  210,  ii.  251 ;  his  prologue 
on  opening  Drury  Lane, 
1674,  i.  94,  note  2,  i.  322, 
note  i  ;  a  bad  elocutionist, 
i.  1 13 ;  his  Morat("  Aurenge- 
Zebe"),  i.  124;  his  high 
praise  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Barry,  i.  158  ;  his  prologue 
to  "The  Prophetess,"!.  187, 
note  i  ;  his  "  King  Arthur," 
i.  187,  note  2;  a  sharer  in 
the  King's  Company,  i.  197; 
his  address  to  the  author  of 
"  Heroic  Love  "  quoted,  i. 
231,  note  i,  ii.  238,  note  3  ; 
his  indecent  plays,  i.  267  ; 
his  epilogue  to  "  The  Pil 
grim,"  i.  268;  his  "Secular 
Masque,"  i.  268,  note  i ;  his 
prologue  to  "The  Pro 
phetess  "  vetoed,  ii.  13  \  his 
prologues  at  Oxford,  ii. 
134,  ii.  136,  note  i,  ii.  137, 
note  i  ;  expensive  revival 
of  his  "All  for  Love,"  ii. 

175- 

Dublin,  Wilks's  success  in,  i. 

235- 

"  Duchess  of  Malfy,"  i.  xxv. 

Dugdale,  Sir  William,  his 
"  Antiquities  of  Warwick 
shire  "  quoted,  i.  xxxvi.  ; 
mentions  the  "  Ludus  Co- 
ventriae,"  i.  xxxviii. 

Duke's  Servants,  The,  i.  87, 
note  i,  i.  88. 


392 


INDEX. 


Duke's  Theatre,  ii.  336 ;  first 

theatre  to  introduce  scenery, 

i.  xxxii. 
Dulwich   College,   built    and 

endowed  by  Edward  Alleyn, 

i.  xxviii. 
"Dunciad,  The,"  i.  36,  note  i, 

ii.  181,  note  i,  ii.  182,  note  i, 

ii.   270;  on   Italian   opera, 

i.  324,  note  i. 
Dyer,   Mrs.,   actress,   i.    136, 

note  2. 


Edicts  to  suppress  plays,  1647- 
1648,  ii.  322. 

Edward,  son  of  Henry  VI., 
pageant  played  before,  i.  xl. 

son  of  Edward  IV., 

pageant  played  before,  i.  xlii. 

Edwin,  John,  his  "Eccentri 
cities"  quoted,  ii.  78,  note  i. 

E e,  Mr.  [probably  Er- 

skine],  his  powers  of  raillery, 
i.  13,  i.  14,  note  i,  i.  16. 

Egerton,  William,  his  memoirs 
of  Mrs.  Oldfield,  i.  5,  note  i. 

"  Egotist,  The,"  i.  lv.,  note  i,  i. 
36,  note  2,  i.  41,  note  2,  i.  43, 
note  i,  i.  45,  note  i,  i.  46, 
note  i,  i.  53,  note  i,  ii.  265. 

Elephants  on  the  stage,  ii.  7, 
note  i. 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  and  the 
Spanish  Armada,  allusion 
to,  i.  64 ;  her  rule  of  govern 
ment,  i.  65. 

Elocution,  importance  of,  i. 
no. 


Elrington,  Thomas,  his  visit 
to  Drury  Lane  in  1714,  ii. 
121,  note  i  ;  Gibber  said  to 
have  refused  to  let  him  play 
a  certain  character,  ii.  193, 
note  i. 

Ely,  Bishop  of,  and  Joe 
Haines,  ii.  315. 

Erskine,  Mr.,  probably  the 
person  mentioned  by  Gibber, 
i.  13,  i.  14,  note  i,  i.  16. 

Estcourt,  Richard,  i.  166,  i. 
237,  i-  332,  i.  334,  note  i ; 
a  marvellous  mimic,  i.  114; 
yet  not  a  good  actor,  i.  115  ; 
said  to  be  unfairly  treated 
by  Gibber,  i.  115,  note  2; 
could  not  mimic  Nokes,  i. 
142  ;  his  "gag"  on  the 
Union  of  the  Companies  in 
1 708,  i.  301 ;  his  first  coming 
to  London,  i.  304 ;  made 
Deputy-manager  by  Brett, 
ii.  56,  note  i ;  advertisement 
regarding  his  salary,  1709, 
ii.  78,  note  i ;  his  Falstaff, 
ii.  300 ;  Bellchambers's 
memoir  of,  ii.  331. 

Eusden,  Laurence,  poet  lau 
reate,  his  death,  i.  32,  note  i. 

Evans,  John,  his  visit  to  Drury 
Lane  in  1 7 14,  ii.  121,  note  i ; 
his  Falstaff,  ii.  300. 


"Faction  Display'd,"  ii.   233, 

note  2. 
"  Fair  Maid  of  the  West,  The," 

i.  xxv. 


INDEX. 


393 


Fairplay,  Francis,  a  name  as 
sumed  by  Gibber  on  one 
occasion,  i.  48. 

"  Fairy  Queen,"  preface  to, 
quoted,  i.  no,  note  i. 

Farinelli  (singer),  ii.  88. 

Farquhar,  George,  ii.  251,  ii. 
367,  ii.  369. 

Fashionable  nights,  ii.  246. 

Faustina  (Faustina  Bordoni 
Hasse),  her  rivalry  with 
Cuzzoni,  ii.  89. 

Fees  for  performances  at  Court, 
ii.  218. 

Fenwick,  Sir  John,  ii.  62. 

Fideli,  Signer,  i.  xxvii. 

Field,  Nathaniel,  originally  a 
"  Chapel  boy,"  i.  xxxvii. 

Fielding,  Henry,  i.  202,  note 
i,  i.  287,  note  4,  i.  288,  note 
i,  ii.  269  ;  attacks  Gibber 
in  "The  Champion,"  i.  i, 
note  i,  i.  38,  note  i,  i.  50, 
note  2,  i.  63,  note  i,  i.  69, 
note  i,  i.  93,  note  2,  i.  288, 
note  i,  ii.  54,  note  2  •  in 
"Joseph  Andrews,"  i.  10, 
note  i,  i.  50,  note  2,  i.  61, 
note  i ;  in  "  Pasquin,"  i.  36, 
note  2 ;  attacks  Gibber  for 
mutilating  Shakespeare,  ii. 
263  ;  manager  of  a  company 
at  the  Haymarket,  i.  92, 
note  i  •  Gibber's  retaliation 
on,  i.  286  ;  Austin  Dobson's 
memoir  of,  quoted,  i.  286, 
note  i,  i.  287,  note  3,  i.  288, 
note  i ;  said  to  have  caused  the 
Licensing  Act  of  1737,1. 286. 


Fitzgerald,  Percy,  his  "  New 
History  of  the  English 
Stage,"  i.  90,  note  i,  i.  320, 
note  i,  ii.  n,  note  i,  ii.  32, 
note  i,  ii.  49,  note  i,  ii.  56, 
note  i,  ii.  79,  note  2,  ii.  94, 
note  i,  ii.  148,  note  i. 

Fitzharding,  Lady,  i.  68. 

Fitzstephen,  William,  his  "De 
scription  of  the  City  of 
London,"  i.  xxxvii. 

Fleetwood,  Charles,  ii.  264; 
purchases  from  Highmore 
and  Mrs.  Wilks  their  shares 
of  the  Patent,  i.  285,  ii. 
261 ;  the  deserters  return 
to  him,  ii.  261. 

Fletcher,  John,  his  plays,  i. 
xxv. 

Footmen,  admitted  gratis  to 
Drury  Lane,  i.  233  ;  this 
privilege  abolished,  i.  234, 
note  i. 

Fortune  Theatre,  i.  xxvi.,  i. 
xxix. 

Fox,  Bishop,  had  charge  of 
pageants  in  which  sacred 
persons  were  introduced,  i. 
xlv. 

French  actors  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  ii.  180,  note  i. 

audience,  conduct  of, 

ii.  247. 

"  Funeral,  The,"  i.  263. 


Gaedertz,  Herr,  his  "Zur 
Kenntniss  der  altenglischen 
Biihne,"  ii.  84,  note  i. 


394 


INDEX. 


"  Gammer  Gurton's  Needle," 
one  of  the  earliest  regular 
comedies,  i.  xlvii. 

Garrick,  David,  i.  no,  note  i, 
i.  278,  note  i,  ii.  259,^.270; 
his  influence  in  reforming 
the  stage,  ii.  263  ;  Gibber 
plays  against,  ii.  268 ;  Gib 
ber's  low  opinion  of,  ii.  268 ; 
Davies's  Life  of,  i.  lv.,  note 
i,  i.  283,  note  2,  ii.  259. 

Gaussin,  Jeanne  Catherine,  ii. 
248. 

Gay,  John,  said  to  have  thrashed 
Gibber,  i.  71,  note  i  ;  his 
"Beggar's  Opera,"  i.  243; 
his  "Polly "forbidden  to  be 
played,  i.  246,  i.  278,  note  i. 

Genest,  Rev.  John,  his  "  Ac 
count  of  the  English  Stage," 
i.  83,  note  i,  i.  88,  note  3,  i. 
91,  note  2,  i.  91,  note  4,  i.  97, 
note  i,  i.  no,  note  i,  i.  149, 
note  2,  i.  156,  note  2,  i.  174, 
note  2,  i.  203,  note  i,  i.  220, 
note  i,  i.  230,  note  i,  i.  267, 
note  2 ,  i.  2  6 8,  note  i ,  i.  2 6 9, note 
i,  i.  296,  note  i,  i.  326,  note 
3,  ii.  5,  note  i,  ii.  7,  note  i, 
ii.  56,  note  i,  ii.  79,  note  2, 
ii.  96,  note  i,  ii.  98,  note  i,  ii. 
123,  note  i,  ii.  165,  note  i, 
ii.  169,  note  3,  ii.  171,  note  i, 
ii.  1 86,  note  i,  ii.  186,  note  2, 
ii.  187,  note  i,  ii.  198,  note  i, 
ii.  210,  note  i,  ii.  251,  note  i, 
ii.  267,  ii.  269,  ii.  324;  his 
opinion  of  Gibber's  Richard 
III.,  i.  139,  note  2. 


"Gentleman's  Magazine,"  ii. 
284. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Great  Cham 
ber,  actors  entitled,  i.  88. 

George  I.  has  theatrical  per 
formances  at  Hampton 
Court,  ii.  208 ;  his  amuse 
ment  at  a  scene  of  "  Henry 
VIII.,"  ii.  216;  his  present 
to  the  actors  for  playing  at 
Court,  ii.  218. 

II.,  i.  32,  ii.  219. 

Giffard,  Henry,  i.  92,  note  i,  i. 
283,  note  i ;  his  theatre  in 
Goodman's  Fields,  i.  282, 
note  2  ;  purchases  half  of 
Booth's  share  of  the  Patent, 
ii.  259. 

Gifford,  William,  doubts  if  Ben 
Jonson  was  an  unsuccessful 
actor,  i.  85,  note  i. 

Gildon,  Charles,  his  Life  of 
Betterton,  i.  118,  note  2,  ii. 
324,  ii.  337,  note  i,  ii.  358. 

Globe  Theatre,  i.  xxvi.,  i.  xxix. 

Goffe,  Alexander,  a  "boy-ac 
tress,"  i.  xxx. ;  employed  to 
give  notice  of  secret  per 
formances  during  the  Com 
monwealth,  i.  xxx. 

"Golden  Rump,  The," a  scur 
rilous  play,  i.  278,  note  i. 

Goodman,  Cardell,  mentioned, 
i.  83,  note  i,  i.  96 ;  pro 
phesies  Gibber's  success  as 
an  actor,  i.  183  ;  a  highway 
robber,  ii.  61,  ii.  63;  his 
connection  with  the  Fen- 
wick  and  Charnock  Plot,  ii. 


INDEX. 


395 


62  ;  he  and  Captain  Griffin 
have  one  shirt  between  them, 
ii.  63;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  329. 

Goodman's  Fields,  unlicensed 
theatre  in,  i.  281  ;  attempt 
to  suppress  it,  i.  282 ;  Odell's 
theatre,  i.  282,  note  i ;  Gif- 
fard's  theatre,  i.  282,  note  2. 

Theatre,  i.  92,  note  i  ; 

closed  by  Licensing  Act 
(1737),  i-  92>  ™te  i. 

Grafton,  Duke  of,  ii.  260 ; 
blamed  for  making  Gibber 
Laureate,  i.  46,  note  i. 

Grantham,  Gibber  sent  to 
school  at,  i.  9. 

Griffin,  Captain  (actor),  i.  334, 
note  i  ;  admitted  into  good 
society,  i.  83 ;  memoir  of, 
i.  83,  note  i  ;  and  Goodman 
have  one  shirt  between 
them,  ii.  63. 

Griffith,  Thomas,  his  visit  to 
Drury  Lane  in  1714,  ii.  121, 
note  i. 

"  Grub  Street  Journal,"  ii.  258, 
note  i. 

Guiscard,  his  attack  on  Lord 
Oxford  referred  to,  i.  291. 

Gwyn,  Nell,  i.  91,  note  i,  i.  182, 
note  i,  ii.  323  ;  and  Charles 
II.,  ii.  211 ;  Bishop  Burnet's 
opinion  of,  ii.  212. 

Haines,  Joseph,  ii.  252,  note 
i  ;  his  bon  mot  on  Jeremy 
Collier,  i.  273;  account  of 
his  career,  i.  273,  note  i ; 


Aston's   description    of,  ii. 

314;  his  pranks,  ii.  315,  ii. 

325  ;  Life  of,  ii.  325,  note  i. 
Halifax,  Lord,  i.  2 1 7,  ii.  3 1 1  ; 

a  patron  of  the  theatre,  ii. 

4;  his  testimonial  to  Mrs. 

Bracegirdle,  ii.  305. 
Hamlet,  incomparably  acted  by 

Taylor,  i.  xxvi. ;    Betterton 

as,  i.  100  ;  Wilks's  mistakes 

in,  i.  100. 
Hammerton,  Stephen,a  famous 

"boy-actress,"  i.  xxvi.;  played 

Amyntor,  i.  xxvi. 
Hampton     Court,     theatrical 

performances  at,  ii.  208,  ii. 

214,  ii.  219. 

"  Hannibal  and  Scipio,"  i.  xxv. 
Harlequin,  Gibber's   low  opi 
nion    of    the    character,    i. 

150-152;  played  without  a 

mask    by    Pinkethman,    i. 

151- 

"  Harlequin  Sorcerer,"  a  noted 

pantomime,  ii.  181,  note  i. 
Harper,  John,  arrested   as  a 

rogue  and  vagabond,  i.  283  ; 

trial,  ii.  260 ;  the  result  of 

his  trial,  i.  284 ;  his  Falstaff, 

ii.  300. 

Harris,  ii.  334,  ii.  346. 
Harrison,    General,    murders 

W.  Robinson  the  actor,  i. 

xxix. 
Hart,  Charles,  i.  125,  note  2,  ii. 

134,  ii.  137,  note  i ;  superior 

to  his  successors,  i.  xxiv. ; 

apprenticed  to  Robinson,  i. 

xxiv. ;   ,a    "  boy-actress,"  i. 


396 


INDEX. 


xxiv. ;  a  lieutenant  in  Charles 
I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. ;  arrested 
for  acting,  i.  xxx. ;  grows 
old  and  wishes  to  retire, 
i.  xxxii. ;  his  acting  of  the 
Plain  Dealer,  i.  83,  note  i ; 
famous  for  Othello,  i.  91 ; 
his  retirement,  i.  96  ;  Bell- 
chambers's  memoir  of,  ii. 
322. 

Haymarket,  Little  Theatre  in 
the,  i.  92,  note  i  ;  opened 
by  the  mutineers  from  High- 
more  in  1733,  ii.  259; 
closed  by  Licensing  Act 
(1737))  i-  92>  note  i. 

the  Queen's  Theatre  in 

the   (now   Her   Majesty's), 
i.  319;   its  history,  i.  319, 
note  i ;  opened  for  Better- 
ton's  Company,  i.  320  ;  de 
fects  in  its  construction,  i. 
320,  i.  326;  inconvenience 
of  its  situation,  i.  322. 
Hemming,  John,  i.  xxvi. 
"  Henry  VIII.,"  ii.  215. 
Heron,  Mrs.,  ii.  262. 
Hewett,  Sir  Thomas,  his  re 
port    on    the    stability    of 
Drury  Lane,  ii.  177. 
Highmore,  John,  at  variance 
with  his  actors,  i.  283  •  his 
purchase  of  the  Patent,  i. 
283,  note  i  ;    the  price  he 
paid  for  the  Patent,  i.  297, 
note  i  ;    purchases  half  of 
Booth's  share  of  the  Patent, 
ii.  258;  purchases  Gibber's 
share,   ii.   258  :    his   actors 


mutiny,  ii.  259 ;  he  sum 
mons  Harper  as  a  rogue 
and  vagabond,  ii.  260  ;  sells 
his  share  in  the  Patent,  ii. 
261. 

Hill,  Aaron,  on  "  tone "  in 
speaking,  i.  no,  note  i; 
appointed  by  W.  Collier  to 
manage  Drury  Lane,  ii.  94, 
note  i ;  defied  and  beaten 
by  his  actors,  ii.  94,  note  i  \ 
farms  the  opera  from  Collier, 
ii.  105 ;  on  Booth's  lack  of 
humour,  ii.  240,  note  2. 

Captain  Richard,  his 

murder  of  Mountfort,  i.  130, 
note  i,  ii.  342. 

"  HistoriaHistrionica,"  reprint 
of,  i.  xix. ;  preface  to,  i.  xxi. 

"  Historical  Register  for  1 736," 
ii.  263. 

Hitchcock,  Robert,  his  "  His 
torical  View  of  the  Irish 
Stage,"  i.  165,  note  i. 

"  Holland's  Leaguer,"  i.  xxv. 

Holt,  Lord  Chief  Justice,  ii. 

22. 

Horden,  Hildebrand,  a  pro 
mising  actor,  killed  in  a 
brawl,  i.  302. 

Horton,  Mrs.,  ii.  260. 

Howard,  J.  B.,  plays  lago  in 
English  to  Salvini's  Othello, 
i.  325,  note  i. 

Sir  Robert,  i.  192,  note 

i. 

Hughes,  Margaret,  said  to  be 
the  first  English  actress,  i. 
90,  note  i. 


INDEX. 


397 


Hutton,  Laurence,  his  "  Lite 
rary  Landmarks  of  London  " 
quoted,  i.  7,  note  3,  ii.  284, 
note  i. 

Irving,  Henry,  his  controversy 
with  Constant  Coquelin  re 
garding  Diderot's  "  Para- 
doxe  sur  le  Come'dien,"  i. 
103,  note  i ;  restores  Shake 
speare's  "Richard  III."  to 
the  stage,  ii.  287. 

Italian  Opera,  introduced  into 
England,  i.  324  ;  "  The 
Dunciad"on,  1.324,  note  i. 

Jackson,  John,  his  "  History 
of  the  Scottish  Stage"  re 
ferred  to,  ii.  1 8 1,  note  i. 

Jacobites  attacked  in  Gibber's 
"  Nonjuror,"  ii.  185;  repay 
Gibber  for  his  attack  by 
hissing  his  plays,  ii.  187 ; 
hiss  his  "  Nonjuror,"  ii.  189. 

James  II.,  ii.  134;  Gibber,  at 
school,  writes  an  Ode  on 
his  coronation,  i.  33;  Gibber 
serves  against,  at  the  Revo 
lution,  i.  60 ;  his  flight  to 
France,  i.  70;  his  quarrel 
with  the  Duke  of  Devon 
shire,  i.  72. 

Jekyll,  Sir  Joseph,  ii.  198. 

Jevon,  Thomas,  i.  151,  note  i. 

Johnson,  Benjamin  (actor),  i. 
99,  note  i,  i.  194,  i.  313,  i. 
332,  ii.  129,  note  2,  ii.  252, 
note  i,  ii.  262,  ii.  308  ;  Bdl- 


chambers's  memoir  of,  ii. 
360. 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  i.  215, 
note  i,  ii.  163,  note  i;  his 
opinion  of  Gibber's  Odes, 
i.  36,  note  2 ;  his  epigram 
on  Gibber's  Laureateship 
quoted,  i.  46,  note  i ;  his 
"Life  of  Pope,"  ii.  275,  ii. 
276,  ii.  280,  note  i,  ii.  281, 
note  i  ;  his  "Lives  of  the 
Poets,"  ii.  27,  note  i,  ii.  128, 
note  i,  ii.  370 ;  his  famous 
Prologue  (1747)  quoted,  i. 
113,  note*. 

Jones,  Inigo,  ii.  209. 

Jonson,  Ben,  i.  245  ;  out  of 
fashion  in  1699,  i.  xxiii. ;  no 
actors  in  1699  who  could 
rightly  play  his  characters, 
i.  xxiv. ;  his  plays,  i.  xxv. ; 
his  epigram  on  Alleyn,  i. 
xxviii. ;  on  Sal  Pavy,  i. 
xxxvi. ;  said  by  Gibber  to 
have  been  an  unsuccessful 
actor,  i.  85  ;  this  denied  by 
Gifford  and  Cunningham, 
his  editors,  i.  85,  note  i ; 
his  Masques,  ii.  209. 

Jordan,  Thomas,  his  "Pro 
logue  to  introduce  the  first 
woman  that  came  to  act  on 
the  stage,"  1660,  i.  90,  note 
i,  i.  119,  note  i. 

"  Joseph  Andrews  "  quoted,  i. 
10,  note  i,  i.  50,  note  2,  i.  61, 
note  i. 

"Julius  Caesar," special  revival 
of,  in  1707,  ii.  5. 


398 


INDEX. 


Keen,  Theophilus,  i.  332,  ii. 

77,  note  i,  ii.  94,  note  i,  ii. 

129,  note  2,  ii.  169,  note  2 ; 

Bellchambers's   memoir  of, 

ii.  364. 
Kemble,  John  P.,  mentioned, 

i.  lv.,  note  i. 
Kent,  Duke  of,  ii.  46. 

Mrs.,  ii.  169,  note  2. 

Killigrew,  Charles,  ii.  32;  note 

i  ;  his  share  in  the  Patent, 
i.  1 8 1,  note  i. 

Thomas,  i.  181,  note  i, 

i.  197,   note  3  ;    granted   a 
Patent  similar  to  Davenant's, 
i.  liii.,   i.  87  ;    memoir   of, 
i.  87,  note  2  ;  his  witty  re 
proof  of  Charles  II.,  i.  87, 
note  2  ;  his  Company  better 
than    Davenant's,     i.     93  ; 
unites    with  Davenant's,   i. 
96. 

"  King  and  no  King,"  special 
revival  of,  in  1707,  ii.  5. 

"  King  Arthur,"  i.  187.  " 

4 '  King  John"  mutilated  by 
Colley  Gibber,  ii.  268. 

"  King  John  and  Matilda,"  i. 
xxv. 

King's  Servants,  The,  i.  87, 
note  2,  i.  88;  before  1642, 
i.  xxvi. ;  after  the  Restora 
tion,  i.  xxxi. 

Kirkman,  Francis,  his  "  Wits," 
ii.  84,  note  i. 

Knap,  ii.  169,  note  2. 

Kneller,  Sir  Godfrey,  his  por 
trait  of  Betterton,  i.  117; 
his  portrait  of  Anthony 


Leigh,  i.  146,  ii.  349  ;  imi 
tated  by  Estcourt,  ii.  333. 

Knight,  Mrs.  Frances,  ii.  77, 
note  i,  ii.  94,  note  i,  ii.  169, 
note  2. 

Joseph,  his  edition  of 

the  "  Roscius  Anglicanus  " 
referred  to,  i.  87,  note  i,  i. 
90,  note  i. 

Knip,  Mrs.,  i.  182,  note  i. 

Kynaston,  Edward,  i.  98,  i. 
119,  ii.  324,  ii.  334,  i.  185, 
i.  327;  petted  by  ladies  of 
quality,  i.  1 20 ;  the  beauty  of 
his  person,  i.  121  ;  his  voice 
and  appearance,  i.  121 ;  his 
bold  acting  in  inflated  pas 
sages,  i.  124;  his  majesty 
and  dignity,  i.  125-6;  lin 
gered  too  long  on  the  stage, 
i.  126  ;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  339. 


Lacy,  John,  superior  to  his 
successors,  i.  xxiv. 

Lady  of  title,  prevented  by 
relatives  from  becoming  an 
actress,  i.  75. 

"  Lady's  Last  Stake,"  cast  of, 
ii.  3,  note  i. 

Langbaine,  Gerard,  his  "Ac 
count  of  the  English  Poets," 
ii.  13,  note  i. 

Laughter,  reflections  on,  i.  23. 

'*  Laureat,  The  "  (a  furious  at 
tack  on  Gibber),  i.  3,  note 
2,  i.  14,  note  i,  i.  35,  note 
2,  i  48,  note  i,  i.  78,  note 


INDEX. 


399 


i,  i.  101,  note  2,  i.  122, 
note  i,  i.  123,  note  i,  i. 
140,  note  i,  i.  157,  note  2, 
i.  174,  note  2,  i.  182,  note  2, 
i.  191,  note  2,  i.  222,  note  i, 
i.  224,  note  i,  i.  238,  note  i, 
i.  239,  note  i,  i.  242,  note  i,  i. 
256,  note  i,  i.  258,  note  2,  i. 
264,  note  i,  i.  273,  note  2,  i. 
300,  note  i,  i.  312,  note  2,  ii. 
30,  note  i,  ii.  37,  »0/*  i,  ii. 
121,  note  i,  ii.  148,  note  i,  ii. 
1 60,  note  i,  ii.  163,  //0&  i, 
ii.  251,  note  i,  ii.  256,  note 

i,  ii-  335»  note  T>  "•  356- 
Lebrun,  Charles,  painter,  al 
luded  to,  i.  106. 
Lee,  Charles  Henry,   Master 
of  the  Revels,  ii.  260. 

Mrs.  Mary,  i.   163,  note 

i. 

Nathaniel,  ii.  327  ;  his 

"Alexander  the  Great,"  i. 
105  ;  a  perfect  reader  of  his 
own  works,  i.  1 13  ;  Mohun's 
compliment  to  him,  i.  114; 
failed  as  an  actor,  i.  114. 

Leigh,  Anthony,  i.  98,  i.  142, 
i.  304,  i.  327  ;  Gibber's  ac 
count  of,  i.  145-154;  his 
exuberant  humour,  i.  145  ; 
in  "The  Spanish  Friar,"  i. 
145  ;  painted  in  the  character 
of  the  Spanish  Friar,  i.  146 ; 
his  best  characters,  i.  146, 
i.  149;  and  Nokes,  their 
combined  excellence,  i.  147, 
his  superiority  to  Pinketh- 
man,  i.  149 ;  the  favourite 


actor  of  Charles  II.,  i.  154; 
compared  with  Nokes,  i. 
154;  his  death,  i.  154,  i. 
1 88;  his  "gag"  regarding 
Obadiah  Walker's  change  of 
religion,  ii.  134;  Bellcham- 
bers's  memoir  of,  ii.  349. 
Leigh,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  i.  98 ; 
Gibber's  account  of,  i.  162- 
163;  her  peculiar  comedy 
powers,  i.  162;  note  regard 
ing  her,  i.  163,  note  i. 

Francis,  ii.  77,  note  i,  ii. 

94,  note  i,  ii.  169,  note  2,  ii. 
170,  note  i. 

Leveridge,   Richard,   ii.    169, 

note  3. 

Licence  granted  by  King  Wil 
liam  in  1695,  i.  98. 
Licensing  Act  of  1737,  i.  278, 

note  i,  i.  286,  i.  287,  note  4, 

ii.  262. 
"Lick  at  the  Laureat,"  said 

to  be  the  title  of  a  pamphlet, 

i.  35,  note  2. 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  Duke's 

old  Theatre  in,  i.  xxxii.,  i. 

88,  note  2. 

Betterton's  theatre  in,  i. 

194 ;  its  opening,  i.  196 ;  its 
success  at  first,  i.  227;  its 
speedy  disintegration,!. 228. 

Rich's  theatre  in,  ii.  79, 

ii.  100;  its  exact  situation, 
ii.     101,    note     i ;     Rich's 
Patent  revived  at,  ii.   165; 
its  opening,  ii.  166,  note  i, 
ii.  171,  note  i ;  actors  desert 
Drury  Lane  to  join,  ii.  169. 


4OO 


INDEX. 


"London  Cuckolds,"  i.  267. 

"  London  News-Letter,"  i.  302, 
note  2. 

Lord  Chamberlain,  Cibber  on 
the  power  of  the,  ii.  10-23, 
ii.  74 ;  his  name  not  men 
tioned  in  the  Patents,  ii.  10; 
Sir  Spencer  Ponsonby-Fane 
on  the  power  of,  ii.  1 1 ,  note  i ; 
his  power  of  licensing  plays, 
ii.  1 1  ;  plays  vetoed  by  him, 
ii.  12-14;  actors  arrested 
by  his  orders,  ii.  17-22 ;  his 
edicts  against  desertions,  ii. 
17,  note  i,  ii.  18,  note  i  ; 
said  to  favour  Betterton  at 
the  expense  of  rival  mana 
gers,  ii.  1 8  ;  various  edicts 
regarding  Powell,  ii.  19, 
note  i,  ii.  20,  note  i,  ii.  94, 
note  i  ;  warrant  to  arrest 
Dogget,  ii.  21,  note  i  ;  his 
edict  separating  plays  and 
operas  in  1707,  ii.  49,  note 
i  ;  interferes  on  behalf  of 
actors  in  their  dispute  with 
the  Patentees  in  1709,  ii. 
68  ;  silences  Patentees  for 
contumacy,  ii.  72;  his  order 
for  silence,  1709,  quoted, 
ii.  73,  note  i. 

Lord  Chamberlain's  Records, 
i.  229,  note  i,  i.  315,  note  2, 
ii.  17,  note  i,  ii.  18,  note  i, 
ii.  19,  note  i,  ii.  20,  note  i, 
ii.  21,  note  i,  ii.  49,  note  i, 
ii.  50,  note  i,  ii.  69,  note  i, 
ii.  73,  note  i,  ii.  79,  note  2, 
ii.  94,  note  i,  ii.  102,  note  i, 


ii.  108,  note  2,  ii.  171,  note 
i,  ii.  193,  note  i,  ii.  218, 
note  i,  ii.  219,  note  i,  ii.  257, 
note  i. 

Lorraine,  Duke  of,  ii.  219. 

Louis  XIV.,  mentioned,  i.  6. 

Prince,  of  Baden,  ii.  228. 

"  Love  in  a  Riddle,"  cast  of, 
i.  244,  note  i. 

Lovel  (actor),  ii.  347. 

Lovelace,  Lord,  ii.  304. 

"  Love's  Last  Shift,"  cast  of,  i. 
213,  note  i. 

Lowin,  John,  ii.  335  ;  arrested 
for  acting,  i.  xxx. ;  superior 
to  Hart,  i.  xxiv.;  his  chief 
characters,  i.  xxvi. ;  too  old 
to  go  into  Charles  I.'s  army, 
i.  xxix. ;  becomes  an  inn 
keeper,  and  dies  very  poor, 
i.  xxxi. 

"Lucius  Junius  Brutus,"  by 
Lee,  vetoed,  ii.  13. 

"Ludus  Coventriae,"  i.  xxxviii. ; 
these  plays  acted  at  other 
towns  besides  Coventry,  i. 
xxxviii. ;  a  description  of 
them,  i.  xxxviii.  et  seq. 

"Lunatick,  The,"  ii.  252,  note 
i. 

Luttrell's  Diary  quoted,  i.  302, 
note  2. 

Macaulay,  Lord,  his  "  History 

of  England  "  referred  to,  ii. 

134,  note$. 
"  Macbeth  "  in  the  nature  of 

an  opera,  i.  94,  note  i ;  ii. 

228,  ii.  229,  note  i. 


INDEX. 


401 


Macclesfield,  Countess  of,  ii. 

39.    See  also  Mrs.  Brett. 
Macklin,  Charles,  ii.   270,  ii. 

362;    his   first   coming    to 

London,    ii.    261 ;    a  great 

reformer,  ii.  262. 
Macready,  William  C.,  men 
tioned,  i.  135,  note  i. 
MacSwiney,        Owen.       See 

Swiney,  Owen. 
"  Maid's  Tragedy  "  vetoed  in 

Charles  II.'s  time,  ii.   12; 

played   with    altered   cata 
strophe,  ii.  12. 
Main  waring,  Arthur,  ii.  369, 

note  2. 
Malone,  Edmond,  i.  185,  note 

i,  i.  197,  note  3,  ii.  32,  note 

i,  ii.  138,  note  i. 
Management,  Gibber  on   the 

duties   and    responsibilities 

of,  ii.  199-207. 
Margaret,   Queen    of    Henry 

VI.,  pageant  played  before 

her,  i.  xl. 
Marlborough,      Duchess     of. 

See  Churchill,  Lady. 
Duke  of,  ii.  96,  note  i, 

ii.  130,  ii.  164,  ii.  228. 
"  Marriage  a  la    Mode,"    by 

Gibber,  cast  of,  ii.  5,  note 

i. 
Marshall,   Anne,  i.   161,   note 

i ;    said    to    be    the    first 

English  actress,  i.  90,  note 

i. 
Julian,  his  "Annals  of 

Tennis"    quoted,    i.     315, 

note  i. 


Mary,  the  Virgin,  and  Joseph, 
characters  in  the  "  Ludus 
Coventrise,"  i.  xxxix. 

Queen,  her  death,  i.  193. 

"Mary,  Queen  of  Scotland,"  by 
Banks,  vetoed,  ii.  14. 

Masculus,  a  comedian,  who 
was  a  Christian  martyr,  i. 
xxii. 

Masks,  Ladies  wearing,  at  the 
theatre,  i.  266 ;  ultimately 
the  mark  of  a  prostitute,  i. 
267,  note  i. 

Mason,  Miss.  See  Countess 
of  Macclesfield,  and  Mrs. 
Brett. 

Masques,  enormous  expense 
of,  ii.  209. 

Master  of  the  Revels.  See 
Revels. 

Mathews,  Charles  (the  elder), 
his  powers  of  imitation  re 
ferred  to,  i.  115,  note  i. 

Mathias,  St.,  the  choosing  of, 
as  an  apostle,  dramatized 
in  the  "  Ludus  Coventrize," 
i.  xxxviii. 

Matthews,  Brander,  ii.  289, 
note  i. 

Maynard,  Serjeant,  a  Whig 
lawyer,  satirized,  i.  149, 
note  2. 

Medbourn,  Matthew,  ii.  346. 

Melcombe,  Lord,  mentioned, 
i.  14,  note  i. 

"  Mery  Play  between  the  Par 
doner  and  the  Frere,  the 
Curate  and  Neybour  Pratte, 
A,"  described,  i.  xlv. 


402 


INDEX. 


Miller,  James,  his  "Art  and 
Nature  "  failed,  i.  152,  note  i. 

Josias  (actor),  ii.  262. 

Mills,  John,  i.  332,  ii.  70,  note 
2,  ii.  129,  note  2,  ii.  259,  note 
i,  ii.  262 ;  his  friendship 
with  Wilks,  i.  259,  ii.  223 ; 
his  honesty  and  diligence,  i. 
260 ;  his  large  salary,  i.  260  ; 
advertisement  regarding  his 
salary,  1709,  ii.  78,  note  i  ; 
Bellchambers's  memoir  of, 
ii.  362 ;  and  the  country 
squire,  ii.  363. 

Milward,  William,  i.  224,  note 

2. 

Mist,  Nathaniel.  See  "  Mist's 
Weekly  Journal." 

"Mist's  Weekly  Journal,"  ii. 
163,  note  i,  ii.  167,  ii.  187. 

Mohun,  Lord,  ii.  314;  impli 
cated  in  Mountfort's  death, 
i.  130,  note  i,  ii.  342. 

Michael,  superior  to  his 

successors,  i.  xxiv. ;  appren 
tice  to  Beeston,  i.  xxv.; 
acted  Bellamente,  i.  xxv. ; 
a  captain  in  Charles  I.'s 
army,  i.  xxix. ;  his  death,  i. 
96  ;  his  admiration  of  Nat. 
Lee's  elocution,  i.  114;  Bell 
chambers's  memoir  of,  ii. 
326. 

Montague,  Captain,  insults 
Miss  Santlow,  i.  76;  chas 
tised  by  Mr.  Craggs,  i. 

77- 

Moorej  Mrs.,  ii.  77,  note  i,  ii. 
94,  note  i. 


Morley,  Professor  Henry,  his 
edition  of  the  "  Spectator," 
ii.  54,  note  i. 

Mountfort,  William,  i.  98,  i. 
108,  i.  170,  note  i,  i.  237, 
ii.  314;  taken  into  good 
society,  i.  83 ;  Gibber's  ac 
count  of,  i.  127-130;  his 
voice  and  appearance,  i.  1 27 ; 
his  Alexander  the  Great,  i. 
127;  his  excellent  acting  of 
fine  gentlemen,  i.  127;  his 
delivery  of  witty  passages,  i. 
128;  his  Rover,  i.  128; 
his  versatility,  i.  128,  i. 
2 1  o ;  his Sparkish ("Country 
Wife  ")  and  his  Sir  Courtly 
Nice,  i.  129;  copied  by 
Gibber  in  Sir  Courtly  Nice, 
i.  129;  his  tragic  death,  i. 
130,  i.  1 88 ;  memoir  of  him, 
i.  130,  note  i  ',  Tom  Brown 
on  his  connection  with  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  i.  170,  note  i  ; 
his  comedy  of  "  Greenwich 
Park,"  ii.  41  ;  copied  by 
Wilks,  ii.  241  ;  Bellcham 
bers's  memoir  of,  ii.  341  ; 
full  account  of  his  death  by 
the  hands  of  Capt.  Hill,  ii. 

342-345- 

-Mrs.,  i.  98,  i.  237,  ii.  343, 
ii.  367 ;  Gibber's  account  of, 
i.  165-169;  her  variety  of 
humour,  i.  165  ;  her  artistic 
feeling,  i.  166 ;  her  acting  of 
the  Western  Lass,  i.  166; 
in  male  parts,  i.  167  ;  plays 
Bayes  with  success,  i.  167; 


INDEX. 


403 


the  excellence  of  her  Me- 
lantha,  i.  167  ;  memoir  of, 
i.  169,  note  i ;  leaves  Bet- 
terton's  company  in  1695, 
i.  200 ;  her  death,  ii.  306 ; 
Anthony  Aston's  description 
of,  ii.  313. 

Mountfort,  Susanna,  i.  334, 
note  i. 

Music  in  the  theatre,  i.  xxxii. 

Newcastle,  Duke  of,  ii.  219; 
(Lord  Chamberlain),  his 
persecution  of  Steele,  ii.  193, 
note  i. 

Newington  Butts,  i.  xlix. 

Newman,  Thomas,  actor,  one 
of  their  Majesties'  servants, 
i.  88,  note  3. 

Nichols,  John,  his  "  Theatre, 
Anti-Theatre,  &c.,"  ii.  66, 
note  2,  ii.  168,  note  i,  ii.  174, 
note  2,  ii.  176,  note  i,  ii. 
177,  note  i,  ii.  193,  note  i. 

Nicolini  (Nicolo  Grimaldi), 
singer,  ii.  48,  ii.  5 1  ;  Gibber's 
high  praise  of,ii.  5 1 ;  praised 
by  the  "Tatler,"  ii.  52. 

Noblemen's  companies  of 
players,  i.  xlvii. 

Nokes,  James,  i.  98 ;  Gibber's 
description  of,  i.  141-145 ; 
his  natural  simplicity,  i. 
141 ;  could  not  be  imitated, 
i.  142  ;  his  best  characters, 
i.  142  ;  his  ludicrous  dis 
tress,  i.  143  ;  his  voice  and 
person,  i.  145  ;  and  Leigh, 
their  combined  excellence, 
II.  C  C 


i.  147  ;  compared  with 
Leigh,  i.  154;  his  death,  i. 
1 88;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  346  ;  why  called 
"  Nurse  Nokes,"  ii.  348. 

Nokes,  Robert,  i.  141,  note  i, 
i.  143,  note  2,  ii.  346. 

"  Nonjuror,  The,"  a  line  in  the 
epilogue  quoted,  i.  49 ;  cast 
of,  ii.  185,  note  2. 

Norris,  Henry,  ii.  77,  note  i, 
ii.  94,  note  i. 

Mrs.,  said  to  be  the  first 

English  actress,  i.  90,  note 
i. 

Northey,  Sir  Edward,  his 
"  opinion  "  on  the  Patent, 
ii.  32,  note  i. 

Gates,  Titus,  i.  133. 

Odell,  Thomas,  his  theatre  in 
Goodman's  Fields,  i.  282, 
note  i. 

"  Old  and  New  London,"  re 
ferred  to,  ii.  104,  note  i. 

Oldfield,  Mrs.  Anne,  i.  157, 
i.  251,  note  i,  i.  332,  ii.  69, 
ii.  129,  note  2,  ii.  358; 
memoirs  of,  published  im 
mediately  after  her  death,  i. 
5 ;  her  acting  of  Lady 
Townly  praised  in  high- 
flown  terms  by  Gibber,  i.  51, 
i.  3 1 2,  note  3  ;  admitted  into 
good  society,  i.  83 ;  her  un 
promising  commencement 
as  an  actress,  i.  159,  i.  305  ; 
compared  with  Mrs.  Butler, 
i.  164 ;  her  rivalry  with  Mrs. 


404 


INDEX. 


Bracegirdle,  i.  174,  note  2  ; 
Gibber's  account  of,  i.  305- 
312;  her  good  sense,!.  310; 
her  unexpected  excellence, 
i.  306  ;  Gibber  writes  "  The 
Careless  Husband  "  chiefly 
for  her,  i.  308  ;  her  perfect 
acting  in  it,  i.  309;  and 
Wilks  playing  in  same 
pieces,  i.  314;  proposed  to 
be  made  a  manager,  ii.  69  ; 
gets  increased  salary  in 
stead,  ii.  71  ;  advertisement 
regarding  her  salary,  1709, 
ii.  78,  note  i  ;  riot  directed 
against,  ii.  166;  settles  a 
dispute  between  Wilks,  Gib 
ber,  and  Booth,  ii.  236 ; 
her  death,  ii.  254 ;  copied 
Mrs.  Mountfort  in  comedy, 
ii.  313  ;  Bellchambers's 
memoir  of,  ii.  367 ;  and 
Richard  Savage,  ii.  369. 
Opera,  i.  in  ;  control  of, 
given  to  Swiney,  ii.  48. 

Italian,   account   of  its 

first  separate  establishment, 
ii.  50-55  ;  decline  of  Italian, 
ii.  87-91. 

Otway,  Thomas,  his  failure  as 
an  actor,  i.  114,  note  i ;  his 
"  Orphan,"  i.  116,  note  2. 

Oxford,  visited  by  the  actors 
in  1713,  ii.  133,  ii.  135; 
Dryden's  Prologues  at,  ii. 
134,  ii.  136,  note  i;  its 
critical  discernment,  ii.  136. 

Lord,  Guiscard's  attack 

on,  referred  to,  i.  291. 


Pack,  George,  ii.  77,  note  i, 
ii.  94,  note  i ;  account  of, 
ii.  169,  note  3. 

Pageants  formed  part  in  recep 
tions  of  princes,  &c.,  i.  xl. 
et  seq. 

Painting  the  face  on  the  stage, 
i.  182,  note  i. 

Pantomimes,  the  origin  of,  ii. 
1 80;  Gibber's  opinion  of, 
ii.  1 80;  "The  Dunciad" 
on,  ii.  181,  note  i. 

"  Papal  Tyranny  in  the  Reign 
of  King  John,"  cast  of,  ii. 
269,  note  i. 

Parish-clerks,  play  acted  by, 
in  1391,  i.  xxxv. 

Parliamentary  reports  on  the 
theatres,  i.  278,  note  i. 

"Parson's  Wedding,  The," 
played  entirely  by  women,  i. 
xxxii. 

"  Pasquin  "  quoted,  i.  36,  note 
2. 

Patent,  copy  of,  granted  to  Sir 
William  Davenant  in  1663, 
i.  liii. ;  Steele's,  ii.  174. 

Patentees,  the,  their  foolish 
parsimony,  i.  164;  their  ill- 
treatment  of  Betterton  and 
other  actors,  i.  187 ;  the 
actors  combine  against 
them,  i.  189;  their  deserted 
condition,  i.  194.  (For 
transactions  of  the  Paten 
tees,  see  also  Rich,  C.) 

Pavy,Sal,  a  famous  child-actor, 
i.  xxxvi. ;  Ben  Jonson's  epi 
gram  on,  i.  xxxvi. 


/INDEX. 


405 


Pelham,  Hon.  Henry,  Gibber's 
"  Apology  "  dedicated  to,  i. 
lv.,  note  i. 

Pembroke,  Earl  of,  ii.  105, 
note  i. 

Pepys,  Samuel,  his  "Diary,"  i. 
119,  note  i,  i.  161,  note  2,  i. 
182,  note  i,  i.  267,  note  i,  i. 
303,  note  i. 

Percival  (actor),  i.  183,  note  i. 

Perkins,  an  eminent  actor,  i. 
xxvi. ;  his  death,  i.  xxxi. 

Perrin,  Mons.  (of  the  Theatre 
Frangais),  ii.  221,  note  i,  ii. 
246,  note  i. 

Perriwigs,  enormous,  worn  by 
actors,  ii.  36,  note  i. 

Phoenix,  the,  or  Cockpit,  i. 
xxvi. 

"  Picture,  The,"  i.  xxv. 

Pinkethman,  William,  i.  313, 
i.  334,  note  i,  ii.  129,  note  2, 
ii.  252,  note  i  ;  his  inferiority 
to  Anthony  Leigh,  i.  149  ; 
his  liberties  with  the  audi 
ence,  i.  152;  hissed  for 
them,  i.  153,  note  i ;  his 
lack  of  judgment,  i.  150; 
plays  Harlequin  without  the 
mask,  i.  151;  his  success 
as  Lory  in  "  The  Relapse," 
i.  230  ;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  348. 

the  younger,  ii.  349. 

Plays,  value  of  old,  for  infor 
mation  on  manners,  i.  xxi. ; 
old,  no  actors'  names  given, 
i.  xxv. ;  originally  used  for 
religious  purposes,  i.  xxxiv., 


i.  xxxv. ;  their  early  intro 
duction,  i.  xxxvii. ;  began 
to  alter  in  form  about  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII.,  i. 
xlv. ;  origin  of,  in  Greece 
and  England,  i.  xlviii. ;  the 
alteration  in  their  subjects 
noticed  by  Stow  in  1598,  i. 
xlviii.  ;  temporarily  sus 
pended,  i.  xlix. ;  arranged 
to  be  divided  between 
Davenant's  and  Killigrew's 
companies,  i.  91 ;  expenses 
of,  i.  197,  note  3. 

Players  defended  regarding 
character,  i.  xxii. ;  not  to 
be  described  as  rogues  and 
vagabonds,  i.  xlix. ;  entirely 
suppressed  by  ordinances 
of  the  Long  Parliament,  i.  Ii. 

Playhouses,  large  number  of, 
in  1629,  i.  xlix. 

"  Poems  on  Affairs  of  State," 
quoted,  i.  170,  note  i. 

"  Poetaster,  The,"  played  by 
the  Children  of  her  Majesty's 
Chapel,  i.  xxxvi 

Poet  Laureate,  Gibber  appoin 
ted,  1730,  i.  32,  note  i. 

Pollard,  Thomas,  a  comedian, 
i.  xxvi. ;  superior  to  Hart,  i. 
xxiv.;  too  old  to  go  into 
Charles  I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. ; 
arrested  for  acting,  i.  xxx.; 
his  retirement  and  death,  i. 
xxxi. 

Pollixfen,  Judge,  ii.  315. 

Ponsonby-Fane,  Sir  Spencer, 
his  memorandum  on  the 


406 


INDEX. 


power  of  the  Lord  Chamber 
lain,  ii.  n,  note  i. 

Pope,  Alexander,  ii.  151; 
Cibber's  "Letter  "to,quoted, 
i.  3,  note  i ;  Cibber's  first 
allusion  to  Pope's  enmity, 
i.  21 ;  an  epigram  com 
paring  Pope  and  Gibber  in 
society,  i.  29,  note  i ;  Cib 
ber's  opinion  of  Pope's  at 
tacks,  i.  35  j  some  of  Pope's 
attacks  quoted,  i.  36,  note 
i  ;  his  attack  on  Atticus 
(Addison),  i.  38;  Cibber's 
"  Letter  "  to,  quoted,  i.  44, 
note  i,  i.  45,  note  2  ;  epigram 
attributed  to  him,  on  Cib 
ber's  Laureateship,  i.  46, 
note  i ;  his  "  Moral  Essays," 
quoted,  i.  307,  note  3 ;  at 
tacks  Gibber  for  counte 
nancing  pantomimes,  ii.  1 82, 
note  i;  "The  Nonjuror" 
a  cause  of  his  enmity  to 
Gibber,  ii.  189,  note  i ;  his 
"  Epistle  to  Dr.  Arbuthnot," 
ii.  189,  note  i;  his  quarrel 
with  Gibber,  ii.  270-283; 
Cibber's  "  Letter  "  to  him, 
ii.  271  ;  his  famous  adven 
ture,  ii.  278;  Cibber's  second 
"  Letter"  to,  ii.  281 ;  his 
portrait  of  Betterton,  ii.339; 
his  attacks  on  Mrs.  Old- 
field,  ii.  370.  (See  also 
"  Dunciad.") 

Porter,  Mrs.  Mary,  ii.  129, 
note  2,  ii.  303,  ii.  368; 
Dogget  plays  for  her  benefit 


after  his  retirement,  ii.  158 ; 
accident  to,  ii.  254,  ii.  365  ; 
Bellchambers's  memoir  of, 

ii.  365- 

Portuguese,  the,  and  religious 
plays,  i.  xxxv. 

"  Post-Boy  Rob'd  of  his  Mail," 
i.  328,  note  i,  i.  329,  note 
i. 

Powell,  George,  i.  157,  i.  193, 
i.  203,  note  i,  i.  228,  i.  259, 
i.  334,  note*,  ii.  77,  note  i, 
ii.  94,  note  i,  ii.  129,  note  2, 
ii.  238,  ii.  301,  ii.  311,  ii. 
363 ;  offered  some  of  Bet- 
terton's  parts,  i.  188;  his 
indiscretion  as  a  manager, 
i.  204  ;  mimics  Betterton,  i. 
205,  i.  207,  note  i ;  the  con 
test  between  him  and  Wilks 
for  supremacy  at  Drury 
Lane,  i.  237-243,  i.  251- 
256 ;  his  carelessness,  i. 
240,  i.  243  ;  deserts  Drury 
Lane,  i.  239 ;  returns  to 
Drury  Lane,  i.  239;  arrested 
for  deserting  his  manager,  ii. 
18;  arrested  for  striking 
young  Davenant,  ii.  19; 
discharged  for  assaulting 
Aaron  Hill  in  1710,  ii.  94, 
note  i  ;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  352, 

Price,  Joseph,  account  of  him 
by  Bellchambers,  i.  146, 
note  i. 

Prince's  Servants,  The,  before 
1642,  i.  xxvi. 

Pritchard,  Mrs.,  ii.  268,  note  i. 


INDEX. 


407 


Profits  made  by  the  old  actors, 
i.  xxxii. ;  of  the  theatre,  how 
divided  in  1682,  i.  97. 

Prologue-speaking,  the  art  of, 
i.  271. 

"  Prophetess,  The,"  i.  187. 

"  Provoked  Husband,"  cast  of, 
i.  311,  note  i. 

"  Provoked  Wife,"  altered,  ii. 

233- 

"  Psyche,"  an  opera,  i.  94. 
Puppet-show      in      Salisbury 

Change,  i.  95. 
Purcell,  Henry,  i.  187,  note  i, 

ii.  312. 

Quantz,  Mons.,  ii.  89,  note  i. 

Queen's  Servants,  The,  before 
1642,  i.  xxvi. 

Theatre  in  the  Hay- 
market,  success  of  Swiney's 
company  in,  ii.  i ;  set  aside 
for  operas  only,  ii.  48 ;  its 
interior  altered,  ii.  79; 
opened  by  the  seceders 
from  Drury  Lane  in  1709, 
ii.  87. 

Quin,  James,  i.  224,  note  2,  ii. 
259,  note  i ;  the  chief  actor 
at  Garrick's  appearance,  ii. 
262. 

Raftor,  Catherine.     See  Clive. 

-  James,  i.  330,  note  i. 
Raillery,  reflections  on,  i.  ii. 
Raymond,  his  "opinion"  on 

the  Patent,  ii.  32,  note  i. 
Red  Bull  Theatre,  i.  xxvi.,  i. 


xxix. ;  used  by  King's  Com 
pany  after  the  Restoration, 
i.  xxxi. ;  drawing  of  the 
stage  of  the,  ii.  84,  note  i. 

Reformation  of  the  stage, 
Gibber  on,  i.  81. 

Rehan,  Ada,  a  great  comedian, 
ii.  289. 

Religion  and  the  stage,  i.  xxi., 
i.  xxxiii. 

"  Renegado,  The,"  i.  xxv. 

Revels,  Master  of  the,  his  un 
reasonableness  to  Gibber,  i. 
275 ;  his  fees  refused  to  be 
paid,  i.  277. 

Rhodes,  the  prompter,  ii.  333, 
ii.  339  ;  his  company,  at  the 
Cockpit,  i.  xxviii. ;  his  com 
pany  of  actors  engaged  by 
Davenant,  i.  87,  note  i. 

Rich,  Christopher,  Patentee 
of  Drury  Lane,  i.  181,  note  i, 
ii.  336,  ii.  361,  ii.  367  ; 
description  of,  i.  233,  note  i ; 
admits  servants  to  theatre 
gratis,  i.  233 ;  his  treat 
ment  of  his  actors,  i.  252  ; 
consults  Gibber  on  matters 
of  management,  i.  253  ;  his 
principles  of  management,  i. 
262,  ii.  6-8 ;  his  tactics  to 
avoid  settling  with  his  part 
ners,  i.  328 ;  his  objections 
to  an  union  of  the  two  com 
panies,  i.  329  ;  permits 
Swiney  to  rent  the  Queen's 
Theatre,  i.  331;  his  foolish 
neglect  of  his  actors,  i.  334 ; 
declines  to  execute  his  agree- 


408 


INDEX. 


ment  with  Swiney,  i.  336; 
wishes  to  bring  an  elephant 
on  the  stage,  ii.  6 ;  intro 
duces  rope-dancers  at  Drury 
Lane,  ii.  7 ;  silenced  for 
receiving  Powell,  ii.  1 9,  note 
i ;  his  share  in  the  Patent, 
ii.  32,  note  i,  ii.  98 ;  his 
dealings  with  Col.  Brett,  ii. 
42-49,  ii.  56-60 ;  Gibber  on 
his  misconduct,  ii.  46  ;  his 
foolish  mismanagement,  ii. 
60,  ii.  65  ;  confiscates  part 
of  his  actors'  benefits,  ii. 
66 ;  ordered  to  refund  this, 
ii.  68 ;  silenced  by  the  Lord 
Chamberlain  (1709),  ii.  72  ; 
his  proceedings  after  being 
silenced,  ii.  77,  ii.  79,  note  2 ; 
an  advertisement  issued  by 
him  regarding  actors'  salaries 
in  1709,  ii.  78,  note  i  ; 
evicted  by  Collier  from 
Drury  Lane  (1709),  ii.  92  ; 
his  Patent  revived  in  1714, 
ii.  79,  ii.  165  ;  his  extra 
ordinary  behaviour  to  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  ii.  98 ; 
Genest's  character  of  him, 
ii.  98,  note  i ;  rebuilds  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields  Theatre, 
ii.  100  •  his  death,  ii.  166, 
note  i. 

Rich,  John,  ii.  79,  ii.  98,  note  2 ; 
opens  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
Theatre,  ii.  166,  note  i ;  an 
excellent  Harlequin,  ii.  181, 
note  i  ;  manages  the  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields  company, 


ii.  262 ;  opens  Covent  Gar 
den,  ii.  262. 

"  Richard  III.,"  Gibber's  adap 
tation  of,  i.  139 ;  his  playing 
in,  i.  139,  i.  275;  cast  of, 
ii.  288,  note  i. 

Richardson,  Jonathan,  ii.  276. 

Roberts,  Mrs.,  one  of  Charles 
II.'s  mistresses,  ii.  212. 

Robins,  a  comedian,  i.  xxvi. 

Robinson,  William,  ii.  322; 
Hart  apprenticed  to,f.  xxiv.; 
a  comedian,  i.  xxvi. ;  mur 
dered  by  Harrison,  i.  xxix. 

Rochester,  Lord,  ii.  138,  note 
i,  ii.  303. 

Rogers,  Mrs.,  i.  332,  ii.  129, 
note  2,  ii.  169,  note  2,  ii.  353  ; 
her  affectation  of  prudery, 
i-  *35  >  becomes  Wilks's 
mistress,  i.  136;  her  eldest 
daughter,  i.  136  ;  riot  caused 
by,  ii.  1 6 6. 

Rogues  and  vagabonds,  players 
not  to  be  described  as,  i. 
xlix.,  i.  1. 

"Roman  Actor,  The,"  i.  xxv. 

Roman  Catholic  religion,  at 
tacked  by  Gibber,  i.  80. 

Rope-dancers  on  the  stage, 
ii.  7. 

"  Roscius  Anglicanus."  See 
Downes,  John. 

Rose  Tavern,  the,  i.  303, 
note  i. 

Rowe,  Nicholas,  in  love  with 
Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  i.  172  ; 
complains  of  French  dan 
cers,  i.  317. 


INDEX. 


409 


Royal  Theatricals  during 
George  I.'s  reign,  ii.  208 ; 
during  previous  reigns,  ii. 
209  ;  effect  of  audience  on 
actors,  ii.  214;  fees  for,  ii. 
218. 

Rymer,  Thomas,  ii.  324. 

Sacheverel,  Doctor,  his  trial 
hurtful  to  the  theatres,  ii.  91. 

St.  Giles's-in-the-Fields,  Col- 
ley  Gibber  christened  at,  i. 
7,  note  2. 

"St.  James's  Evening  Post," 
ii.  198,  note  i. 

St.  Paul's  Singing  School,  i. 
xlix. 

Salisbury  Court,  the  private 
theatre  in,  i.  xxiv.,  i.  xxvi.,  i. 
xxviii. 

Salvini,  Tommaso,  the  great 
Italian  tragedian,  plays  in 
Italian,  while  his  company 
plays  in  English,  i.  325, 
note  i. 

Sandford,  Samuel,  i.  98,  i.  327, 
ii.  244,  note  i  ;  the  "  Spag- 
nolet"  of  the  theatre,  i. 
130;  Gibber's  account  of 
him,  i.  130-1  ;  his  personal 
appearance,  i.  131  ;  an 
actor  of  villains,  i.  131, 
i.  137;  his  Creon  ("  CEdi- 
pus"),  i.  131;  the"Tatler" 
on  his  acting,  i.  132,  note  i ; 
anecdote  of  his  playing  an 
honest  character,  i.  132  ;  "a 
theatrical  martyr  to  poetical 
justice,"  i.  137;  his  voice 


and  manner  of  speaking,  i. 
138;  would  have  been  a 
perfect  Richard  III.,i.  138  ; 
Gibber  plays  Richard  III. 
in  imitation  of,  i.  139  ;  An 
thony  Aston's  description 
of,  ii.  306 ;  Bellchambers's 
memoir  of,  ii.  346. 

Santlow,  Hester,  her  first  ap 
pearance  as  an  actress,  ii. 
95 ;  her  manner  and  appear 
ance,  ii.  95  ;  her  character, 
ii.  96,  note  i  ;  her  marriage 
with  Booth,  ii.  96,  note  T. 
(See  also  Booth,  Mrs.  Bar 
ton.) 

Satire,  reflections  on,  i.  37  ; 
Gibber's  opinion  regarding  a 
printed  and  an  acted,  i.  289. 

Saunderson,  Mrs.  See  Better- 
ton,  Mrs. 

Savage,  Richard,  ii.  39,  note  i ; 
and  Mrs.  Oldfield,  ii.  369. 

Scenes,  first  introduced  by  Sir 
William  Davenant,  i.  xxxii., 
i.  87,  note  i. 

"Secular  Masque,  The,"  i. 
268,  note  i. 

Sedley,  Sir  Charles,  Kynaston's 
resemblance  to,  ii.  341. 

Senesino  (singer),  ii.  53. 

Sewell,  Dr.  George,  his  "  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,"  ii.  186, 
note  i. 

Shad  well,  Charles,  his  "Fair 
Quaker  of  Deal,"  ii.  95. 

Thomas,  his  comedy  of 

"  The  Squire  of  Alsatia,"  i. 
148. 


410 


INDEX. 


Shaftesbury,  first  Earl  of,  i. 
134,  note  i. 

Shakespeare,  William  (see 
also  names  of  his  plays), 
a  better  author  than  actor, 
i.  xxv.,  i.  89;  his  plays,  i. 
xxv. ;  his  plays  depend  less 
on  women  than  on  men,  i. 
90 ;  expenses  of  plays  in  his 
time,  i.  197. 

"Sham  Lawyer,  The,"  ii.  252, 
note  i. 

Shank,  John,  a  comedian,  i. 
xxvi. ;  played  Sir  Roger 
("  Scornful  Lady"),  i.  xxvi. 

Shatterel,  ii.  326;  superior 
to  his  successors,  i.  xxiv. ; 
apprentice  to  Beeston,  i. 
xxv. ;  a  quartermaster  in 
Charles  I.'s  army,  i.  xxix. 

Shelton,  Lady,  ii.  303. 

Shore,  John,  brother-in-law  of 
Colley  Gibber,  i.  184,  note  i. 

Miss.     See  Gibber,  Mrs. 

Colley,  i.  184,  note  i. 

"  Shore's  Folly,"  i.  184,  note  i. 

"  Silent  Woman,"  i.  xxiv. 

Singers  and  dancers  introduced 
by  Davenant,  i.  94;  diffi 
culty  in  managing,  ii.  88. 

Skipwith,  Sir  George,  ii.  60. 

Sir  Thomas  (one  of  the 

Patentees  of  Drury  Lane), 
ii.  109 ;  does  Vanbrugh  a 
service,  i.  217;  receives 
"The  Relapse"  in  return, 
i.  2 1 7  ;  a  sharer  in  the  Drury 
Lane  Patent,  ii.  31  ;  assigns 
his  share  to  Colonel  Brett, 


ii.  32 ;  his  friendship  for 
Brett,  ii.  39;  claims  his 
share  from  Brett,  ii.  59. 
Smith,  William,  1327,  ii.  324, 
ii.  346 ;  insulted  by  one  of 
the  audience,  i.  79;  de 
fended  by  the  King,  i.  79  ; 
driven  from  the  stage  be 
cause  of  the  King's  support 
of  him,  i.  79;  taken  into 
good  society,  i.  83  •  Bell- 
chambers's  memoir  of,  ii. 

3i9- 

Sophocles,  his  tragedies,  ii. 
29. 

Southampton  House,  Blooms- 
bury,  i.  7,  note  3. 

Southerne,  Thomas,  ii.  311  ; 
prophesies  the  success  of 
Gibber's  first  play,  i.  212; 
his  "Oroonoko,"  i.  216, 
note  i. 

Spaniards,  the,  and  religious 
plays,  i.  xxxv. 

"Spectator,"  ii.  353. 

Spiller,  James,  ii.  169,  note  2. 

Stage,  and  religion,  i.  xxi.,  i. 
xxxiii. ;  the,  Gibber  on  the 
reformation  of,  i.  81  \  audi 
ence  on,  forbidden,  i.  234; 
Gibber  on  the  influence  of, 
ii.  24-31  •  shape  of  the, 
described,  ii.  84 ;  doors,  ii. 
84,  note  i. 

Statute  regarding  rogues  and 
vagabonds,  i.  1.;  against 
profanity  on  the  stage,  i.  1.; 
against  persons  meeting  out 
of  their  own  parishes  on 


INDEX. 


411 


Sundays  for  sports,  etc.,  i. 

1.  ;      entirely     suppressing 
players,  i.  li. 

Steele,  Sir  Richard,  i.  97,  note 

2,  i.  276,  ii.  36,  note  i,  ii. 
109,  ii.  128,  ii.  151,  ii.  217, 
ii.  251,  ii.  257  ;  substituted 
for  Collier  in  the  Licence, 
ii.  162 ;  the  benefits  he  had 
conferred   on    Gibber  and 
his  partners,  ii.  162 ;   Den 
nis's   attacks    on,    ii.    168, 
note  i ;   receives  a  Patent, 
ii.  173  ;  assigns  equal  shares 
in  the  Patent  to  his  partners, 
ii.  174;  account  of  his  tran 
sactions  in  connection  with 
the   theatre   which   are  ig 
nored  by   Gibber,   ii.   193, 
note  i ;  persecuted  by  the 
Duke  of  Newcastle,    then 
Lord  Chamberlain,  ii.  193, 
note   i  ;     his    Licence    re 
voked,  ii.  193,  note  i ;  re 
stored   to  his  position,    ii. 
193,  note  i  ;    the  expiry  of 
his  Patent,  ii.  193,  note  i  ; 
assigns    his    share    of   the 
Patent,  ii.  196;  brings  an 
action  against  his  partners, 
ii.    196  ;     account   of  the 
pleadings,  ii.  196-208;  his 
recommendation  of  Under- 
hill's  benefit,  ii.  351. 

Stow,  John,  his  "Survey  of 
London"  quoted,  i.  xxxv., 
i.  xlviii. 

Strolling  players,  i.  xl.,  i.  xlvii., 
i.  1. 


Subligny,  Madlle.,  a  French 
dancer,  i.  316. 

"  Summer  Miscellany,  The," 
ii.  272,  note  i. 

Sumner,  an  eminent  actor,  i. 
xxvi. ;  his  death,  i.  xxxi. 

Sunderland,  Lady  (the  Little 
Whig),  i.  320. 

Swan  Theatre,  drawing  of  the 
stage  of  the,  ii.  84,  note  i. 

Swanston,  Eliard,  acted 
Othello,  i.  xxvi. ;  the  only 
actor  that  took  the  Presby 
terian  side  in  the  Civil  War, 
i.  xxix. 

Swift,  Jonathan,  an  attack  on 
Gibber  by  him  in  his  "  Rhap 
sody  on  Poetry "  quoted,  i. 
52,  note  2. 

Swiney,  Owen,  i.  97,  note  2,  ii. 
43,  ii.  223,  ii.  267 ;  his 
"  Quacks,"  i.  247,  note  i  ; 
account  of  his  character,  i. 
329;  memoir  of,  i.  330, 
note  i  ;  rents  the  Queen's 
Theatre  from  Vanbrugh,  i. 
33°,  i-  333»  note  i  ;  his 
agreement  with  Rich  about 
renting  the  Queen's  Theatre, 
i.  331;  Rich  declines  to 
execute  it,  i.  336 ;  his  suc 
cess  at  the  Queen's  Theatre 
in  1706-7,  ii.  i ;  his  arrange 
ment  with  his  actors  in  1706, 
ii.  9 ;  control  of  the  opera 
given  to,  ii.  48 ;  his  gain  by 
the  opera  in  1708,  ii.  55; 
has  joint  control  of  plays 
and  operas  (1709),  ii.  69; 


4I2 


INDEX. 


forced  to  hand  over  the 
opera  to  Collier,  ii.  102  ; 
forced  to  resume  the  opera, 
ii.  107 ;  goes  abroad  on  ac 
count  of  debt,  ii.  108;  his 
return  to  England,  ii.  108  ; 
Gibber  plays  for  his  benefit, 
ii.  262. 


"Tatler,"  the,  i.  38,  i.  132, 
note  i,  ii.  75,  ii.  93,  ii.  229, 
note  i,  ii.  244,  note  i,  ii. 
244,  note  2,  ii.  328,  ii. 
362,  ii.  363  ;  its  eulogium 
of  Betterton,  i.  1 1 8,  note  i  ; 
recommends  Cave  Under- 
hill's  benefit,  i.  155  ;  praises 
Nicolini,  ii.  52  ;  its  influence 
on  audiences,  ii.  162. 

Taylor,  John,  his  "Records 
of  my  Life  "  quoted,  i.  Ixv., 
note  i. 

Joseph,  ii.  334  ;  superior 

to  Hart,  i.  xxiv. ;  his  chief 
characters,  i.  xxvi. ;  too  old 
to  go  into  Charles  I.'s 
army,  i.  xxix. ;  arrested  for 
acting,  i.  xxx. ;  his  death, 
i.  xxxi. 

"  Tempest,  The,"  as  an  opera, 
i.  94;  revival  of,  ii.  227. 

Theatre,  the,  mentioned  by 
Stow  as  recently  erected,  i. 
xlviii. 

Theatre  Fran^ais,  ii.  221,  note 
i,  ii.  246,  note  i. 

Theatres,  number  of,  before 
1642,  i.  xxvi. ;  more  repu 


table  before  1642,  i.  xxvii. ; 
less  reputable  after  the  Re 
storation,  i.  xxvii. ;  evil,  ar 
tistically,  of  multiplying,  i. 
92. 

Theobald,  Lewis,  deposed 
from  the  Throne  of  Dulness, 
ii.  280. 

Thomson,  James,  his  "So- 
phonisba,"  ii.  368. 

Tofts,  Mrs.  Katherine,  i.  334, 
note  i,  ii.  51;  Gibber's  ac 
count  of,  ii.  54. 

"Tone"  in  speaking,  i.  no, 
note  i. 

Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
Caius  Gibber's  statues  on 
the  Library,  i.  59;  particu 
lars  regarding  these,  i.  59, 
note  i. 


Underbill,  Cave,  i.  98,  i.  142, 
i.  327,  ii.  307,  ii.  346,  ii. 
347,  ii.  361  ;  his  chief 
parts,  i.  154-155;  Gibber's 
account  of,  i.  154-156;  his 
particular  excellence  in 
stupid  characters,  i.  154; 
the  peculiarity  of  his  facial 
expression,  i.  155  ;  his  re 
tirement  and  last  appear 
ances,  i.  155,  note  2  ;  his 
death,  i.  156  ;  Anthony 
Aston's  description  of,  ii. 
307  ;  Bellchambers's  me 
moir  of,  ii.  350. 

Underwood,  John,  originally  a 
"  chapel  boy,"  i.  xxxvii. 


INDEX. 


413 


Union  of  Companies  in  1682, 
i.  xxxii.,  i.  96;  in  1708,  i. 
301 ;  causes  that  led  up  to, 
ii.  45,  ii.  48. 

Valentini  (Valentini  Urbani), 
singer,  i.  325,  ii.  51,  ii.  55. 

Vanbrugh,  Sir  John,  i.  269,  i. 
274,  i.  284,  il  107,  ii.  no, 
ii.  190,  ii.  337,  ii.  353,  ii. 
367  ;  his  opinion  of  Gibber's 
acting  of  Richard  III.,  i. 
139;  his  "  Relapse,"  i.  216, 
i.  218 ;  his  high  opinion  of 
Gibber's  acting,  i.  216;  his 
"Provoked  Wife,"  i.  216- 
217;  in  gratitude  to  Sir 
Thomas  Skipwith  presents 
him  with  "The  Relapse,"  i. 
217;  his  "^sop,"i.  216,  i. 
2 1 8 ;  his  great  ability,  1.219; 
alters  his  "  Provoked  Wife," 
ii.  233  ;  his  share  in  the 
"Provoked  Husband,"  i. 
311,  note  i  ;  builds  the 
Queen's  Theatre,  i.  319; 
and  Congreve  manage  the 
Queen's  Theatre,  i.  320,  i. 
325  ;  his  "  Confederacy,"  i. 
325;  "The  Cuckold  in 
Conceit "  (attributed  to 
him),  i.  326  ;  his  "  Squire 
Trelooby,"  i.  326;  his 
"  Mistake,"  i.  327  ;  sole  pro 
prietor  of  the  Queen's 
Theatre,  i.  326;  lets  it  to 
Swiney,  i.  330,  i.  333,  note  i. 

Vaughan,  Commissioner,  ii. 
278,  note  i. 


"Venice  Preserved,"  ii.  224, 
note  i. 

Verbruggen,  John,  i.  108,  note 
2  ]  mentioned,  i.  157,  i.  193; 
hangs  about  Downes,  the 
prompter,  i.  74,  note  i ;  note 
regarding,  i.  157,  note  2  ; 
Anthony  Aston's  descrip 
tion  of,  ii.  311;  Bell- 
chambers's  memoir  of,  ii. 

354- 

Mrs.  See  Mrs.  Mount- 
fort. 

Vere  Street,  Clare  Market, 
theatre  in,  i.  xxxii. 

Versatility,  Gibber's  views  on, 
i.  209. 

Victor,  Benjamin,  ii.  259 ;  a 
story  told  by  him  of  Gibber's 
cowardice,  i.  71,  note  i ;  his 
"  History  of  the  Theatres," 
i.  1 10,  note  i,  i.  297,  note  i, 
ii.  259,  note  ?,  ii.  260,  note 
i,  ii.  261,  note  i,  ii.  264,  ii. 
2  70  ;  his  "  Letters  "  quoted, 
i.  58,  note  i ;  his  "  Life  of 
Booth,"  i.  5,  note  i,  ii.  240, 
note  2. 

Villains,  Gibber's  views  on,  i. 
131 ;  Macready's  views  on, 
referred  to,  i.  135,  note  i  ; 
E.  S.  Willard  mentioned  as 
famous  for  representing,  i. 
135,  note  i  ;  on  the  acting 
of,  i.  222. 

Vizard-masks  (women  of  the 
town),  i.  xxvii.  See  also 
Masks. 

Voltaire,  his  "  Zaire,"  ii.  248. 


INDEX. 


Walker,  Obadiah,  his  change 
of  religion,  ii.  134. 

Waller,  Edmund,  altered  the 
last  act  of  the  "  Maid's 
Tragedy,"  ii.  12. 

Walpole,  Horace,  and  Gibber, 
ii.  284. 

Warburton,  Bishop,  men 
tioned,  i.  1 06,  note  i,  ii.  281. 

Ward,  Professor  A.  W.,  his 
"  English  Dramatic  Litera 
ture,"  i.  187,  note  i. 

Warwick,  Earl  of,  his  frolic 
with  Pope  and  Gibber,  ii. 
278. 

Weaver,  John,  his  "  Loves  of 
Mars  and  Venus,"  ii.  180, 
note  2. 

Webster,  Benjamin,  i.  88,  note 

3- 

"  Wedding,  The,"  i.  xxv. 

"  Weekly  Packet  "  quoted,  ii. 
171,  note  i. 

Welsted,  Leonard,  satirically 
mentioned  by  Swift,  i.  52, 
note  2. 

Westminster  Bridge,  difficul 
ties  in  getting  permission  to 
build,  ii.  104. 

Whig,  the  Little  (Lady  Sunder- 
land),  i.  320. 

White's  Club,  Gibber  a  mem 
ber,  i.  29,  note  i. 

Whitefriars,  i.  xlix. 

"  Whitehall  Evening  Post," 
Gibber  sends  verses  to,  re 
garding  himself,  i.  47. 

Whitelocke's  "  Memorials,"  ii. 
209,  note  2. 


Wigs.     See  Perriwigs. 

Wildair,  Sir  Harry,  i.  318. 

"  Wild-Goose  Chase,  The,"  i. 
xxv. 

Wilks,  Robert,  i.  108,  note  2, 
i.  157,  i.  270,  i.  332,  ii.  36, 
note  i,  ii.  167,  ii.  176,  ii. 
300,  ii.  352,  ii.  361,  ii.  363, 
ii.  368  ;  memoirs  published 
immediately  after  his  death, 
i.  5  ;  mistakes  in  his  Ham 
let,  i.  100,  note  i  ;  lives 
with  Mrs.  Rogers,  i.  136  ; 
distressed  by  Pinkethman's 
"gagging,"  i.  153,  note  i  \ 
his  impetuous  temper,  i. 
190,  i.  191,  note  i,  i.  191, 
note  2,  ii.  127,  ii.  150-155, 
ii.  171;  his  return  to  Drury 
Lane  from  Dublin,  i.  235  ; 
his  commencing  as  actor,  i. 
235;  the  contest  between 
him  and  Powell  for  supre 
macy  at  Drury  Lane,  i.  237- 
243,  i.  251-256;  his  won 
derful  memory,  i.  240,  i. 
242  ;  his  diligence  and  care, 
i.  240,  ii.  1 60  ;  his  good 
character,  i.  243  ;  made 
chief  actor  at  Drury  Lane, 
under  Rich,  i.  256 ;  his 
energy  in  managing,  i.  257  ; 
his  disputes  with  Gibber, 
i.  258  ;  his  friendship  with 
Mills,  i.  259;  as  a  prologue- 
speaker,  i.  271  ;  the  occa 
sion  of  his  coming  to  Lon 
don,  i.  304 ;  and  Mrs.  Old- 
field  playing  in  same  pieces, 


INDEX. 


415 


i.  314 ;  made  Deputy-mana 
ger  by  Brett,  ii.  56,  note  i  ; 
made  joint-manager  with 
Swiney  and  others  in  1709, 
ii.  69 ;  advertisement  re 
garding  his  salary,  1709,  ii. 
78,  note  i ;  his  characteris 
tics  as  a  manager,  ii.  in, 
ii.  117;  his  patronage  of 
his  friends,  ii.  121;  his 
behaviour  on  Booth's  claim 
ing  to  become  a  manager, 
ii.  131,  ii.  141 ;  his  favour 
for  Mills,  ii.  223;  his  con 
nection  with  Steele  during 
the  dispute  about  Steele's 
Patent,  ii.  193,  note  i  ;  his 
love  of  acting,  ii.  225  ;  a 
genuine  admirer  of  Gibber, 
ii.  226,  note  i  ;  attacked  by 
Dennis,  ii.  226,  note  2  \ 
his  excellence  as  Macduff, 
ii.  228 ;  gives  the  part  to 
Williams,  ii.  229;  but  with 
draws  it,  ii.  230 ;  complains 
of  acting  so  much,  ii.  232 ; 
a  scene  between  him  and 
his  partners,  ii.  234-237 ; 
benefits  arising  from  his 
enthusiasm  for  acting,  ii. 
237  ;  and  Booth,  their 
opinion  of  each  other,  ii. 
240;  formed  his  style  on 
Mountfort's,  ii.  241 ;  Gib 
ber's  comparison  of  Booth 
and  Wilks,  ii.  239-245  ;  his 
Othello,  ii.  244;  death  of, 
ii.  254 ;  memoir  of,  ii.  254, 
note  4;  Patent  granted  to 


him,    Gibber,    and  Booth, 
after     Steele's     death,     ii. 

257- 

Wilks,  Mrs.,  inherits  Wilks's 
share  in  the  Patent,  ii.  258  ; 
delegates  her  authority  to 
John  Ellys,  ii.  258;  her 
share  sold  to  Fleetwood,  ii. 
261. 

Willard,  E.  S.,  mentioned,  i. 
135,  note  i. 

William  of  Orange,  Gibber  a 
supporter  of,  at  the  Revolu 
tion,  i.  60;  made  king,  i. 
70;  gives  a  Licence  to 
Betterton,  i.  192,  note  i. 

Williams,  Charles,  Wilks  gives 
him  the  part  of  Macduff,  ii. 
229,  but  withdraws  it,  ii. 
230 ;  hissed  in  mistake  for 
Gibber,  i.  179,  note  i. 

Joseph,    mentioned,    i. 

157,  i.  200;  Bellchambers's 
memoir  of,  ii.  356. 

Wiltshire  (actor),  leaves  the 
stage  for  the  army,  i.  84; 
killed  in  Flanders,  i.  85. 

Winchester  College,  Gibber 
stands  for  election  to,  and 
is  unsuccessful,  i.  56 ;  his 
brother,  Lewis  Gibber,  is 
afterwards  successful,  i.  56; 
his  father  presents  a  statue 
to,  i.  56 ;  communication 
from  the  Head  Master  of,  i. 
56,  note  2. 

Wintershal  (actor),  belonged 
to  the  Salisbury  Court  Thea 
tre,  i.  xxiv. 


416 


INDEX. 


Woffington,  Margaret,  her  ar 
tistic  feeling,  i.  166,  note  i  ; 
an  anecdote  wrongly  con 
nected  with  her,  ii.  266. 

"Woman's  Wit,"  cast  of,  i. 
264,  note  i. 

Women,  their  first  introduc 
tion  on  the  stage,  i.  xxxii., 
i.  89,  note  i,  i.  90. 

Wren,  Sir  Christopher,  the 
designer  of  Drury  Lane 
Theatre,  ii.  82. 

Wright,  James,  his  "History 
of  Rutlandshire,"  i.  8; 
quoted,  i.  9,  note  i  ;  his 


"Historia  Histrionica,"    i. 
xix. 

Wykeham,  William  of,  Gibber 
connected  with  by  descent, 
i.  5«- 

"Ximena,"  cast  of,  ii.  163, 
note  i. 

York,  Duke  of  (James  II.),  at 
Whitehall,  i.  30. 

Young,  Dr.  Edward,  his 
"Epistle  to  Mr.  Pope" 
quoted,  i.  54,  note  i. 

Young   actors,   dearth  of,  ii. 

221. 


END    OF    VOL.    II. 


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